The case against an Ypsilanti Township man accused of selling a pit bull puppy for dogfighting purposes to undercover officers was dismissed in the Washtenaw County Trial Court Monday.
The prosecution made the motion to drop the charges against 28-year-old Gayland Tomlin.
“The people are not going to be in a position to proceed with this case,” said Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Paul Barnett.
It was revealed to the prosecution last month that a recording of the exchange between undercover officers and Tomlin accidentally had been destroyed by an information technology specialist at the Humane Society of Huron Valley.
Last week, Judge Melinda Morris said she wouldn’t allow testimony in a trial about the contents of the recording.
Tomlin didn’t hide his happiness in the courtroom.
“I’d like to thank all the people who supported me,” he told AnnArbor.com, adding people should “think twice about jumping to conclusions about a person.”
Tomlin said he was innocent of the charges and he was not trying to sell the puppy for dogfighting purposes.
AnnArbor.com previously reported that Tomlin was accused of trying to sell a pit bull puppy for dogfighting to two undercover officers with the Humane Society and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office last winter. The destroyed recording was of that transaction. When the Humane Society officer wanted to boost the sound quality, the recording was given to someone at her agency as opposed to the sheriff’s office.
When the technician got the disc, he didn’t see a file on it and threw it in the trash.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.