A former Disney executive accused of lewd acts with a child, and facing his third trial on the same allegations, saw the case against him tossed out Tuesday.
Last month, for the second time in just over a year, the trial of 60-year-old Jonathan Blake Heely, of Santa Clarita, ended in a hung jury.
Heely was headed for his third trial on the same allegations.
On Tuesday, he appeared in San Fernando Superior Court where the judge dismissed the case against him.
“Today, the defense asked the court to dismiss the case,” Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, said Tuesday.
“People opposed the motion. The court dismissed it,” he said.
On Aug. 30, jurors weighing the evidence presented at Heely’s second trial told the judge they could not reach a verdict.
“The jury announced it was unable to reach a verdict and the judge declared a mistrial,” Santiago said in August.
Detectives with the Special Victims Unit said in December 2017 that allegations were brought to the Sheriff’s Department earlier in 2017, and the investigation resulted in three charges.
“We have no reason to believe there are other victims out there,” Sgt. Brian Hudson of the LASD Special Victims Unit said at the time. “However, if anyone has any additional information out there, we would encourage them to contact the Special Victims Unit.”
Hudson also confirmed shortly after the arrest that the alleged crimes were not connected in any way to Heely’s employment with Disney.
Heely was charged with sexually assaulting female family members who were between the ages of 11 and 16 at the time of the alleged offenses, according to evidence presented at the preliminary hearing.
The incidents took place between 2006 and 2010, the criminal complaint alleged.
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Saturday 2,112 new cases of COVID-19 and 48 new deaths due to the virus countywide, and a total of 1,458 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 152 more than reported Friday.
A crowd of several hundred gathered Saturday in Santa Clarita to protest police violence as part of a nationwide reaction to several high-profile deaths in recent months.
Using diluted bleach on a cloth wipe, I clean all sinks, counters, knobs, buttons, light switches, ground phones, faucets, remote controls, keyboards, mouse and table tops. Takes me five minutes. Everyone should be doing this.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Saturday 2,112 new cases of COVID-19 and 48 new deaths due to the virus countywide, and a total of 1,458 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley since the pandemic began, 152 more than reported Friday.
A crowd of several hundred gathered Saturday in Santa Clarita to protest police violence as part of a nationwide reaction to several high-profile deaths in recent months.
One morning, it was pea-soup foggy as I thumped across an aged railroad trestle while the sun rose, casting stick-like tree shadows across my path. Momentarily entranced by the scene, I suddenly realized I was running through a swarm of small flies.
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The city of Santa Clarita's Planning Commissioners will consider extending the timeframe for a 90,900-square-foot business development on Sierra Highway and hear public comments on a proposed 375-unit residential development in Saugus at the commission's next meeting on Tuesday, June 2, starting at 6 p.m.
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Artist, writer, educator and CalArts alum Audrey Chan (Art MFA 07) has been named the first-ever resident artist by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
CSUN’s Class of 2019-2020 worked too hard — and overcame too many challenges — not to celebrate the completion of this chapter in their academic journey, at least virtually.
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Donaldson Company, Inc., based in Bloomington, Minnesota with operations also in Valencia, announced on Friday that its Board of Directors declared a regular cash dividend of 21.0 cents per share, payable June 30, 2020, to shareholders of record on June 15, 2020.
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