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(York) — Authorities have dropped a simple assault charge against a Maryland man who used a dog leash to lead his wife around the York Fair because she has late-stage dementia.
Court documents show York County District Attorney Dave Sunday found the husband “made an ill-advised decision while attempting to provide his dying wife a trip to the fair.”
A judge signed the order dismissing the charges on Tuesday.
Walter Wolford had taken his wife to the fair last September.
Police said he yanked the eight-inch long red nylon leash, causing his wife’s head to jerk back and leave red marks around her throat.
But the 67-year-old Hagerstown man claimed he only gently tugged on the leash, which he uses to keep his wife from getting lost.
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