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SYRACUSE -- A Syracuse City Councilman says a sexual battery citation issued against him is simply a political vendetta.
The citation, issued at Hill Air Force Base, is short on detail. It states on Dec. 15, at the base's Health and Wellness Center, Doug Hammond was "excused of sexual offense" and on Dec. 16 he "was picked out by facial recognition by victim with 100 percent certainty."
"It's not even signed. It alleges no specific facts," Hammond's attorney, David Irvine, said in an interview Wednesday. "I have not been able to acquire anything from the prosecutor at Hill in support of those facts."
A federal prosecutor dismissed the citation Tuesday, although the U.S. attorney's office continues to review the case.
"I'm confident that there is going to be nothing that they would find that's any different from what was not found at Hill," Irvine said.
Hammond told KSL Newsradio he has done nothing wrong and he doesn't even know who made the claim.
"He is an honorable and respected leader in his community," Irvine said. "The prosecutor's decision to drop that charge, I believe, is consistent with that deserved reputation."
Hammond and his attorney say the accusation appears to be politically motivated.
"This has been pending for two months, and when the prosecutor makes the decision to dismiss the charges, then, at that point, somebody made a decision to notify the news media," Irvine said. "The coincidence of that kind of timing just makes me wonder whether this is all about politics, or what's going on. It looks unusual."
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
