Earlier this month, the Colusa County District Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges against William Richard Combs Jr., the 47-year-old Cortina man whom they alleged had committed a forcible lewd act upon a child, along with various special allegations.
At a hearing on July 9, Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Farrell made the motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, which gives prosecutors the ability to refile charges at a later time. The motion was granted by Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Thompson.
“We don’t feel that the case was ready to move forward to a preliminary hearing or trial at this time,” Farrell explained of his motion to dismiss the case in an interview last week. “It was dismissed without prejudice. I can’t go into specifics.”
As a result of the dismissal, Combs’ preliminary hearing – which was scheduled for today – was vacated. Combs was released from the Colusa County Jail – where he was being held on $1 million bail – shortly after the hearing on July 9, Colusa County Sheriff’s Jail Sgt. Arnold Navarro confirmed.
A phone call to Combs’ attorney, Albert Smith, was not returned by the time of publication.
