Lack of cooperation from the alleged victim means no criminal charges will be filed against an Oregon couple accused last fall in a sexting incident involving a 17-year-old Oregon High School student.
Ogle County States Attorney Ben Roe said Dec. 23 that he will not file charges against former OHS coach Jeff Thornton, 37, and his wife Lora, 31.
"Without the necessary cooperation from the victim and his family, we are unable to complete our investigation," Roe said.
Roe said the 17-year-old and both his parents gave signed letters to the Oregon police in early December saying they did not want the case to go any further.
He said he contacted the teen's father by phone several times and asked him to bring the teen to his office. However, he said the father refused.
"They didn't wish to meet with us," Roe said.
The case began Oct. 17 when the father filed petitions in Ogle County Court, asking for orders of protection against the Thorntons on his son's behalf.
According to the court documents, the father was seeking to prevent Lora Thornton from having any contact with his 17-year-old son because she electronically sent explicit nude photos to the youth on "many different days" in May and June of this year.
Documents said the father was asking for the order against Jeff Thornton because Thornton had tried to confront his son about the photos when the youth was at a friend's home Oct. 7 after an OHS football game.
Jeff Thornton's resignation as an OHS coach was accepted unanimously by the Oregon School Board on Oct. 17.
Judge Michael Mallon dismissed the petitions Oct. 26 when neither the teen nor his father appeared for a hearing on the matter.
The Thorntons' attorney Debra Schafer, Rockford, told Judge Michael Mallon at the hearing that the teen's father had called her earlier in the day and told her he had decided not to proceed with the petitions for the orders.
She said the father's attorney Byron Sloan contacted her later with the same information.