A judge has dismissed charges in a high-profile prom night rape case originating in Calhoun, ruling that the defendants’ constitutional right to a speedy trial had been violated after the case remained unresolved for more than a decade.
According to a court order recently filed in Gilmer County, the judge granted what is known as a “plea in bar,” effectively dismissing the indictment against the defendants.
The case began in 2014 when the defendants were arrested and later indicted. In the order, the court noted that more than 10 years passed between the arrests and the filing of the plea in 2025, describing the delay as “uncommonly long.”
The ruling cited several factors that contributed to the lengthy delay, including changes in judges and prosecutors assigned to the case, disruptions caused by the statewide judicial emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic, and failures by the state to provide complete discovery materials in a timely manner.
The judge also pointed to what the order described as “several multi-year periods of inaction” throughout the case with no clear explanation for the lack of progress.
According to the ruling, the prolonged delay caused ongoing stress and other lasting impacts for the defendants as the case remained pending for years.
In dismissing the indictment, the court concluded that the defendants’ constitutional right to a speedy trial had been “irreparably denied.”
The order also acknowledged the emotional weight of the decision and its impact on the alleged victim.
The judge wrote that if the ruling stands, the alleged victim “will be denied her chance to be heard,” but emphasized that the court’s responsibility was to uphold the constitutional rights of the accused.
An attorney representing one of the suspects said in an email that his client feels “a sense of relief but not joy” following the ruling.
“This process has been grueling and has put his life on hold for quite a while,” the attorney said. “This case is not typical and had a lot of twists and turns.”