‘Absolutely devastated’: C.O. parents want answers after learning daughter’s sex abuse case may be dropped

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Central Oregon couple say they feel defeated after learning their daughter's year-long sex abuse case could be dropped, without their knowledge.

"We were told that everything that's going on in the last year has been for no reason, dismissed," the victim's stepmother said. "Absolutely devastated, heartbroken that our kid isn't going to see the justice system work correctly."

Last November, their daughter told counselors she was sexually assaulted at the age of 8 by her mother's boyfriend.

The accused, Aaron Harney, now 35, of Pendleton was charged with first-degree sex abuse after admitting to the assault. After multiple investigations by Bend Police and child welfare, a grand jury heard the sex abuse case in April and an indictment was returned alleging first-degree sex abuse, a Class B felony.

The family says that for five months, they heard nothing from prosecutors or detectives - but just last week, learned the charges reportedly had been dropped.

Harney, who filed a motion for dismissal of the charge in late August, is still behind bars, serving 40 months for a burglary in Lane County.

"The district attorney's office had let us know that they didn't know the clock was running on the case, and they dropped the ball, and that's why the case was dismissed," the parents said.

Harney had filed a request for trial in May, giving the court just 90 days to hear the case.

Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels told NewsChannel 21 Friday, "The statute allows an inmate in the Department of Corrections to demand that the prosecutor bring him or her to trial within 90 days. And if we fail to do that, then the case gets dismissed."

But according to Gunnels and court records, as of Friday, the sex abuse charge against Harney is not yet dismissed -- but the DA said it could be, although the case won't necessarily be over.

"There could be potentially other charges, and more investigation is being done," Gunnels said. "I've just spoken to the prosecutor assigned to the case, and that is happening."

But the woman's father is still upset about the turn of events.

"If we were more involved, more informed of what was going on, we may have caught something. We may have heard something that was changing and could have changed the outcome."