Primghar, Iowa — Charges against a Paullina man who was tried recently for felony sex abuse in connection with an investigation have been dismissed.
According to the Paullina Police Department, in February, they arrested 34-year-old Richard Eugene Buckley, who was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse, which is a class B felony; and one count of lascivious acts with a child, a class C felony.
The police department says that Buckley was arrested in connection with an investigation between their officers and the Iowa Department of Human Services. Court documents say that Buckley’s 9-year-old daughter accused him of sexually abusing her.
According to O’Brien County Attorney Micah Schreurs, Buckley waived his right to a jury trial. He says that after a multi-day bench trial, Judge John Ackerman dismissed the charges and declared Buckley not guilty.
In his order, Judge Ackerman stated that the Paullina Police Department did not “seize any items, bedding, or physical items …” and that “There was no collection of any evidence from the house.”
Ackerman also stated in his order that “The court finds the credibility of [the victim] as to the allegations to be significantly suspect.” He says that the 9-year-old girl’s “history of telling lies and her inconsistent answers to the same questions… leads the Court to conclude that she is not a credible witness.”
The judge wrote, “The State has failed to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
