Earlier today, we reported that former Glee star Mark Salling was being investigated for rape.
Now, in a surprising turn of events, the Los Angeles County District Attorney has dropped the charges against Salling.
The reason for the decision has little to do with Salling’s perceived guilt or innocence, and probably won’t do much to restore the disgraced actor’s reputation.
According to TMZ, the DA decided not to pursue charges against Salling simply because too much time had elapsed since the alleged incident.
An unnamed 22-year-old woman claims that Salling forced himself upon her in 2012.
The woman says she was a virgin at the time, and Salling ignored her repeated pleas to stop.
She claims she told Salling, “I don’t know if I can do this,” but that he plied her with alcohol and eventually overpowered her.
She says she blacked out during the rape, and Salling was sleeping next to her when she awoke.
The following morning, he allegedly wanted to have sex again, and the woman says she consented.
A source close to the DA says investigators felt they would be unable to gather sufficient evidence due to the fact that more than four years have passed since the alleged incident.
The matter was further complicated by the woman’s admission that she had one consensual sexual encounter with Salling.
Insiders say law enforcement has allowed for the possibility of re-opening the case in the event that more evidence should emerge.
Of course, just because he likely won’t do any jail time in connection with this latest allegation, that doesn’t mean Salling is out of the woods legally.
Late last year, Salling was arrested on child porn charges after police claimed he had stored thousands of illicit images of children are a hard drive.
In May, Salling was indicted on two counts, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.
The 34-year-old actor is currently out on $ 20,000 bail.
Salling’s trial is due to begin next month.
Those familiar with the evidence say the prosecution is considering the case against him to be open-and-shut.