PLAINFIELD — A Hendricks County public defender and Indianapolis attorney says dozens of cases, including drug charges, theft and more have been dropped following an investigation into former Plainfield Police Officer Valentin Khazin.
Khazin faces criminal charges in connection to an alleged plot against another Plainfield officer.
Among the 69 cases dismissed, 10 were infraction cases. 24 felony cases are currently under investigation.
The Hendricks County prosecutor says the former officer's credibility is irreparably damaged.
His reputation follows evidence in Khazin's alleged scheme of asking a gas station clerk to make false allegations against a sergeant by sending three separate letters claiming verbal, physical and sexual abuse against children within Hendricks County Schools.
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The prosecutor says Khazin is disqualified in the future from serving as a state's witness in any capacity, in any case in Hendricks County.
It's a win for some of attorney Mark Nicholson's clients.
"It's important that cases get dismissed because the government has a strict and heavy burden when they prosecute someone and charge them with a crime. The highest burden to get a conviction is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and if you can't trust the officer of what he's writing and saying under oath then you cannot move forward with that case,” Nicholson said. “The prosecutor, as an administrator of justice, has the ethical obligation not to move forward on cases they believe are not valid or there is some issue of that and it’s important to our client because now they are free from these potential false allegations or cases where the prosecutor knows where there is something amiss with the case.”
The attorney says those who were arrested by Khazin, or involved as a witness in the case, can now get those charges expunged off their record.
"And depending on what the violation is, there could be a potential lawsuit involved. Although there has not been enough information to find out exactly what happened, but if this is some kind of intentional misconduct by the officer involved there could be some lawsuits involved," Nicholson said.
Khazin resigned from the Plainfield Police Department last week. He's facing criminal charges for false informing and official misconduct.
