KANSAS CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner dismissed the computer tampering charge against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens after his legal team offered his resignation for the dismissal.
Greitens had faced the felony computer tampering charge for allegedly using a donor list from the charity he founded, The Mission Continues, for political purposes.
Gardner held a news conference Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in St. Louis to announce the resolution.
During the news conference, Gardner said she remained confident her office had the evidence required to pursue charges, but "sometimes pursuing charges is not the right or just thing to do for our city or our state."
Gardner said if Greitens was convicted of the charge, it would be unlikely he would be sentenced to prison because he is a first-time offender and due to the type and level of the charge he faced.
She said after discussions, Greitens's defense attorneys and the circuit attorney's office came to an agreement to dismiss the case. After the news conference, a St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office spokeswoman Susan Ryan said Greitens's legal team contacted their office last weekend and offered his resignation for the dismissal of the charge.
Greitens announced his resignation Tuesday afternoon.
UPDATE: Official court dismissal record released on @EricGreitens computer tampering case.@41actionnews pic.twitter.com/mDsdxkxwEL
— Tom Dempsey (@KCTomDempsey) May 30, 2018
Important to note: @EricGreitens does *NOT* admit guilt to computer tampering charge w/ @stlcao agreement pic.twitter.com/hoaxMpEPgg
— Tom Dempsey (@KCTomDempsey) May 30, 2018
Meanwhile, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she will continue to look into possible charges against Greitens after he allegedly took a nude photograph, without consent, of a woman with whom he was having a consensual affair.
Peters Baker said the governor’s resignation announcement on Tuesday would have no impact on her investigation.
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