Judge ruling cites teen’s employment in dismissing charges against Halle
A Butler County judge ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the young woman a former school board member was accused of sexually assaulting was a participant in his nonprofit program.
The felony charges against William “Bill” Halle of Butler were dismissed Friday, Jan. 12.
He was charged with four counts: sexual assault by employee of a nonprofit organization, corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, and unlawful contact or communication with a minor. All charges stem from an incident which occurred last spring, when he was accused of having sexual contact with a then-17-year-old employee of the Net Cafe — part of Halle’s Grace Youth & Family Foundation.
Judge Timothy McCune ruled the prosecution had failed to make the case that the teenager was a “participant” in the nonprofit when the allegations occurred, but was instead an employee.
Her employment contradicted a key element of each of the charges, which stated the teenager was “a child under the age of 18 years of age who participates in a program or activity of the nonprofit association.”
“At the time the crimes were allegedly committed, April 9, 2023 — May 1, 2023, she was not a participant in the program or activity of the nonprofit organization but instead was an employee,” McCune wrote.
The document compared the circumstances of the case to someone who once participated on a sports team but, at some point after turning 17, shifted to working at a concession stand run by the team.
“While this court does not condone a 58-year-old man grooming and manipulating a young girl and then having a sexual relationship with her when she was 17 years of age, the evidence presented by the commonwealth in this case is not sufficient for the element of the crime,” McCune wrote.
The same day the charges against Halle were dropped, Judge William Robinson ordered Halle to serve out the remainder of a six-month jail sentence in Butler County Prison, which was imposed on Halle in October 2023 for violating the terms of his parole.
Halle was jailed for sending both text messages and letters to the teen while under a no-contact order as part of a separate civil lawsuit.
