Criminal charges against Panthers' Beason thrown out

By Darin Gantt - The Herald

CHARLOTTE -- Mecklenburg County prosecutors won’t pursue the criminal charges filed against Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason, his attorney said Friday.

Attorney George Laughrun received a two-page notice that the case was being dismissed, saying that the Mecklenburg County district attorney’s office didn’t find sufficient evidence to continue to the case.

“That was a pretty big vindication of Jon,” Laughrun said.

Beason was arrested Nov. 30 on misdemeanor assault charges after his accuser found a magistrate willing to issue a warrant. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police had investigated the Nov. 15 strip club incident between Beason and Gregory Frye, but hadn’t found enough evidence to warrant an arrest.

The following day, Frye’s lawyer filed a civil complain against Beason, seeking damages in excess of $10,000, saying Beason had attacked him and caused facial injuries.

Beason has denied the charges and had planned to plead not guilty at his first appearance on Jan. 11, but won’t have to now. The decision by prosecutors not to pursue criminal charges also put a dent in the civil claim, since it speaks to the evidence in the case.

“I think our chances in the civil case went up pretty substantially today,” Laughrun said.