SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors said Thursday they will not file charges against a Northern California mother accused of grabbing the throat of a 12-year-old boy she suspected of bullying her daughter.
The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office said there were conflicting witness statements, and that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Delia Garcia-Bratcher attacked the boy.
Sheriff's officials also said they could not find any evidence linking the boy to the bullying allegations, and that Garcia-Bratcher might have targeted the wrong person.
Garcia-Bratcher, 30, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse in the May confrontation at a Santa Rosa, California, elementary school. Two students said they saw her grab the boy by the throat, according to investigators.
Garcia-Bratcher acknowledged confronting the boy but said she did not touch him. In a seven-page report, an investigator hired by her attorney, Ben Adams, quoted a 10-year-old saying he saw the boy put both hands around his own neck after the encounter with Garcia-Bratcher.
Adams said Thursday his client was glad to have the case behind her.
"They arrested her for no reason and dragged her to court for no reason," he said.