Prosecutors have withdrawn theft and related charges filed against a former Allentown police officer.
Jason Krasley, 48, of the 6400 block of Meadowview Terrace in Upper Milford Township, was accused of stealing more than $5,000 during a raid in 2019. The charges, including felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor evidence tampering, were filed by law enforcement in January.
Bethlehem-based attorney James Burke, representing Krasley, reportedly filed a motion seeking to “quash,” or legally invalidate the testimony of several officers at a June preliminary hearing on the theft charges.
Burke argued in the motion the evidence presented at a June hearing failed to establish probable cause, according to the Morning Call newspaper.
District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan on Friday afternoon announced the withdrawal of all charges in Krasley’s theft case. The DA said it was due to “prosecutorial discretion” and the decision came during a hearing before Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Thomas M. Caffrey.
“This office will not comment further about the withdrawal of charges,” the DA said in a statement.
Burke couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
Krasley continues to face several charges in his rape case, including two counts felony sexual assault, and one count each of felony theft, receiving stolen property and evidence tampering. He also faces other misdemeanor related offenses in the separate cases.
Originally, Krasley faced charges in seven different incidents. All the women involved claimed they were allegedly sexually assaulted by Krasley while he was investigating prostitution cases.
Prosecutors have since dropped two of the seven cases, according to court records. At least one of the cases was removed in June when prosecutors couldn’t get the witness, who was currently out of state, to Lehigh County to testify.
Burke previously told lehighvalleylive.com Krasley “absolutely denies” the allegations.
Krasley’s co-defendant, 45-year-old Evan Weaver, of the 8800 block of Clearwater Circle in Weisenberg Township, is charged with two counts felony rape, one count felony involuntary servitude, two counts felony involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with threat forcible compulsion and related offenses.
Allentown-based attorney John Waldron, representing Weaver, previously told lehighvalleylive.com his client has one alleged victim and “denies any criminal involvement whatsoever with that individual.”
Weaver remains a current sergeant on the Allentown force. He was placed on administrative leave from the department in January.
Krasley left the department in 2021 and went to work for the SafeSport Center, which fired him last year shortly after learning he’d been arrested in the now withdrawn theft case.
Krasley is also named in a whistleblower lawsuit filed last year by two Allentown officers who alleged widespread misconduct in the department.
The rape cases against the pair were transferred to prosecutors with the state’s Attorney General’s Office. The transfer was due to a potential conflict of interest with the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office prosecuting the case.
Krasley and Weaver each are scheduled to stand trial on all their remaining charges. Both co-defendants remain free after posting bail.
Waldron, the attorney representing Weaver, told lehighvalleylive.com Friday afternoon the next steps are for both attorneys to receive discovery from prosecutors to file their pre-trial motions.
The defense has been delayed by the state Attorney General’s reassignment, he said.
“We have some solid arguments,” Waldron said.
The Allentown Police Department is cooperating with the investigation.
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