CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — The charges against a former Chesapeake Police lieutenant accused of sexually assaulting and threatening a coworker were dropped in Chesapeake Circuit Court Friday.

Sean Maddox, 43, was arrested on June 1, 2021 after a Chesapeake 911 dispatcher accused him of raping her and sending threatening text messages after their romantic affair ended.

According to the online court system, four of his charges — rape by force, abduction with intent to defile, sodomy by force and stalking — were nolle prossed (set aside), while two extortion charges were dismissed.

10 On Your Side has reached out to the special prosecutor in the case but have not received a response.

Maddox’s attorney, Taite Westendorf, provided the following statement:

Today, we are pleased to announce that all charges against our client, Sean Maddox, have been either dropped or dismissed. From the very beginning, we maintained our client’s innocence and were confident that the truth would eventually prevail.

Regrettably, the investigation in this case fell far short of the standards we expect in our justice system. It was clear from the earliest stages of this case that the accusations against Mr. Maddox were completely false. Rather than critically evaluating the overwhelming evidence of our client’s innocence, authorities instead chose a witch hunt that caused immeasurable harm to an innocent man and his reputation.

False accusations pose a grave threat to the integrity of the justice system. Innocent individuals, like Mr. Maddox, endure unimaginable hardship and suffering as they face criminal prosecution and social persecution for crimes they did not commit. Furthermore, these false accusations create an environment where true victims of sexual assault may be more reluctant to come forward due to fear of disbelief or skepticism. It is imperative that lessons are learned from this unfortunate episode to prevent similar future injustices and to restore public trust in the system. The first step in restoring such trust involves ensuring that the responsible parties are held accountable for their misconduct.

Sean Maddox has endured a traumatic experience throughout this ordeal. While today’s resolution of the criminal case provides some measure of vindication, he will never have his life fully restored. He will be pursuing all available civil remedies to seek just compensation for the pain, suffering, and damage inflicted upon him, both personally and professionally.

We will update this story as it develops.