All charges against former hotel employee accused of assault dropped
The 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has dismissed all charges against a former hotel employee after an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a Fraser hotel called the case into question.
Devin Mulholland was arrested in July after a guest at the Holiday Inn claimed he assaulted them in a hotel room while Mullholland was working. Mulholland initially faced charges of sexual assault and second degree assault, both of which have since been dropped.
In a statement from the DA’s office, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kathryn Dowdell explained that the Fraser Winter Park Police investigation revealed new information that, in conjunction with initial statements, made proving the case difficult.
“It is the duty of the prosecution to seek justice within the bounds of the law — seeking to protect the innocent, convict the guilty and only pursue charges against those defendants where the highest legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt exists,” Dowdell said.
The charges were dropped before Mulholland appeared for a preliminary hearing, which is an early step in the criminal justice system where a judge typically decides if enough evidence exists to prosecute, on Oct. 12.
Over the phone, Mulholland told the Sky-Hi News he had sex with the guest, but it was consensual and her brother was in the room the whole time.
“It was all misconstrued,” Mulholland said.
The police report redacted information about the alleged victim and a potential witness, though it did mention that someone else was asleep in the room when Mulholland and the guest had sex.
Mulholland was glad the charges were dropped but said being wrongfully accused of sexual assault not only cost him his job, but also led to him getting death threats and being ostracized in his community.
“I couldn’t get a job. I was getting death threats,” he said. “Walking down the street, I get weird looks or I go into the gas station, and people won’t talk to me.”
Mulholland hopes news about the charges being dropped will help clear his name.
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