EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
Chicago prosecutors on Tuesday abruptly dropped criminal charges against “Empire” star Jussie Smollett, who was accused of planning a phony hate crime against himself.
Smollett, who had faced 16 counts of disorderly conduct, appeared at an emergency court hearing Tuesday morning, where the case was discharged.
A top-ranking Chicago Police official called the dismissal “a punch in the gut.”
There had been no suggestion in recent court filings that Smollet’s case would be tossed out.
“I’ve been truthful and consistent on every level since day one,” the 36-year-old Smollett said during a press conference.
“I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of even one drop of what I have been accused of.”
“This has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly, one of the worst in my entire life,” he said.
“I want to thank my legal counsel from the bottom of my heart, and I would like to thank the state of Illinois for attempting to do what is right. Thank you for all the support, thank you for faith and thank you to God.”
There was no plea deal in the case. Smollett agreed to forfeit his bail, but there was no other condition for the dismissal.
A spokesman for Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Fox, whose office was prosecuting Smollett, said, “After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.
The dismissal is a “stunning, surprising turn of events. Like something you might see on Mr. Smollett’s TV show,” Georgetown University Law professor Paul Butler said on MSNBC.
Chicago Police Commander Ed Wodnicki, whose department had conducted the investigation into Smollett, told WMAQ-TV he was outraged by the dismissal.
“Its a punch in the gut. Is absolutely a punch in the gut,” Wodnicki said. “We worked closely throughout our 3 week investigation to get to point where we arrested the offender. For states attorney at this point to dismiss charges without discussing this with us at all is just shocking.”
In the wake of his arrest in February, producers of the 20th Century Fox Television show “Empire” decided to remove the actor from the final two episodes of the latest season. Warner Bros.-owned TNT also pulled an episode of “Drop the Mic” that featured Smollett.
As of last week, 20th Century Fox Television is owned by Disney.