Judge Moves to Dismiss Charges Against Sprint Car Racer
By Raul Hernandez – April 14, 2010
Criminal charges against 34-year-old sprint car racer Ronnie Case of Camarillo were dismissed today at Ventura County Superior Court. Judge Bruce Young moved to dismiss the sexual assault charges after prosecutor Thomas Dunlevy told the court that the District Attorney’s Office would not prosecute Case.
Dunley said in an interview that the decision to dismiss was based on recent information obtained through discovery, which is the exchange of information between lawyers. Dunlevy said that based on this recent information, the District Attorney’s Office felt that it couldn’t prove the case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
Court records show that Case is charged with several felonies, including forcible rape, sodomy by use of force and unlawful sexual intercourse and misdemeanor sexual battery. Case had pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Case’s lawyer, Susan Yu (Mesereau & Yu) of Los Angeles, said she was happy that the district attorney dismissed the charges. “We are very pleased with the result,” she said. She declined further comment.
Case was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old teen at Case’s home in 2006 when she was there with a friend and the friend’s boyfriend, according to prosecutors. Case used his house to have parties with a group of people, some underage, who “follow him around” during various racing events, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Case had a “stripper’s pole” in his house where he would get females to disrobe while he videotaped them, prosecutors said.