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ATLANTA, GA---A newly appointed special prosecutor has dismissed a felony arrest warrant against Paul Howard, Fulton County's district attorney but says that the courtroom incident prompting the warrant will be thoroughly investigated.
Fulton County Sheriff's Deputy Levoular McCray had sought an arrest warrant on charges of obstruction of a police officer, a felony, and felony battery for Howard, claiming that he assaulted her in the courtroom on March 31.
On Thursday a judge had issued a warrant for Howard's arrest but later suspended it and on Friday, Richmond County district attorney Danny Craig who is acting as the special prosecutor in the case threw it out because he said the state attorney general's office hadn't been notified before the warrant was issued.
Craig said the case should be presented to a grand jury.
On March 31, following a rape trial at which a jury had returned a verdict of not guilty, Howard had been questioning jurors about their decision. When the trial judge asked him to stop, Howard refused and the judge reported ordered deputies to remove him from the court.
As McCray was attempting to exercise her duty, she says that Howard resisted and struck her which resulted in her dislocating her shoulder. Her attorneys say that Howard assaulted her a second time in a holding room after he was removed from the courtroom.
Howard, who has been district attorney for the county that includes the city of Atlanta since 1997, vigorously denies the accusations and says he has no intention of resigning. 4-28-06
© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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