City dismisses most of charges against halfway house owner
MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- The city dismissed nine of the 11 criminal charges Friday against the owner of a downtown halfway house who had claimed he was being forced out of his location near the new Mesa Arts Center.
City prosecutor John Pombier asked the court to dismiss nine building safety violations against Transitional Living Communities owner John Schwary.
The two remaining fire code citations, which accuse Schwary of failing to have a proper certificate of occupancy, are scheduled to be addressed at a Jan. 27 court hearing.
"They just threw a lot of stuff in there with the hope some of it will stick," said Schwary, who disputes all 11 violations.
Pombier said the violations had nothing to do with Schwary's business, a live-in recovery program for alcoholics and drug addicts.
The building safety violations were dismissed because there was not an adequate description of the charges, according to Pombier.
The city can refile the charges - with more detail - if necessary, Pombier said. He added that it will depend on whether a resolution is reached on the fire code issues.