A FORMER mayor of Waterford and serving Fine Gael city councillor yesterday had a battery charge against him dropped by US prosecutors in Bloomington, Illinois.
Cllr Hilary Quinlan, with an address at Daisy Terrace, Waterford, and who is in his 50s, had been released on bail after he was arrested and charged with battery following a disturbance at a wedding there last September.
However, according to the Bloomington Pantagraphnewspaper, prosecutors yesterday dismissed the charge. The case had been scheduled to go to trial.
The Pantagraphsaid no comment was immediately available from the state attorney's office.
"The prosecution decided not to proceed," Mr Quinlan's attorney, Jonathan Backman, told the newspaper. "I think the evidence was extremely weak."
Mr Quinlan was arrested by police in Bloomington after they were called to the scene of a disturbance at a wedding at the Chateau Hotel, Jumer Drive, Bloomington.
He was charged with domestic battery of his wife's niece, Helena Brown. The charge was later altered to simple battery and he was brought to McClean County Jail, Illinois, where he was detained for two days.
Mr Backman said it was clear in the last few weeks that prosecutors would dismiss the case.
"He got some unfortunately bad publicity," Mr Backman said.
Mr Quinlan was elected mayor of Waterford in June 2005 for a third time. He previously served as mayor of the city in 1991-1992 and 2001-2002.