CANYON CITY — A local man who faced numerous counts of sex crimes against a child is free after the state dismisses the charges.

Glen William Wadley, 59, of Mount Vernon, was released Tuesday, Jan. 28, from the Grant County Jail after Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff granted a defense motion for a demurrer in the case and dismissed the charges.

The demurrer, a legal filing that can be used to challenge the basis for a court case, argued the 16-count indictment filed against Wadley was “not sufficiently definite and certain.”

After prosecutors conceded that point, Shirtcliff dismissed the charges against Wadley without prejudice, meaning the state could refile charges at a later date.

A six-day jury trial that had been scheduled to begin Feb. 25 was canceled, according to court records.

Wadley had been held on $500,000 bail for more than six months, since his arrest on June 19. He had pleaded not guilty on all counts.

Most of the charges Wadley faced involved alleged sex crimes against a child, including numerous counts of first-degree rape, sodomy and unlawful penetration.

According to court documents, the alleged crimes were believed to have taken place between Oct. 22, 2012, and Oct. 22, 2016. All of the charges involved a single victim, a minor female who Wadley knew.

Of the counts against Wadley, 15 were felonies and 12 were Measure 11 offenses, including nine charges that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years and four months upon conviction.

Some of the charges specified the victim was under the age of 12 at the time of the alleged offenses. Under an Oregon statute known as Jessica’s Law, conviction on those counts could have triggered an enhanced sentence of 25 years behind bars.

Attorneys Matthew Baughman and Timothy Beaubien represented Wadley. They did not return a call seeking comment.

Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter and Deputy District Attorney Riccola Voigt were the prosecutors in the case.

Carpenter said Oregon law requires the prosecution to identify specific instances of sexual abuse, not just a pattern of abuse over time. When the victim is a child, he said, it can be difficult to pin down details.

“We’re certain the (alleged) abuse occurred, we just can’t identify it specifically enough to move forward,” he said.

However, he added, the Oregon statute of limitations for sex offenses against a child does not expire until the accuser’s 30th birthday, so it still might be possible to refile the charges in this case.

“If additional information or specific information about the events (is brought forward,) the state would refile,” Carpenter said.

He also noted accusers in cases of alleged child sexual abuse can seek a lifetime protective order against the defendant.