Jul 11, 2008 11:12 pm US/Eastern
Jury: Regola Not Guilty On All Counts
GREENSBURG (AP) ―
A state senator has been acquitted of charges that he lied about a gun used in the apparent suicide of his 14-year-old neighbor.
Sen. Robert Regola III had been charged with perjury, reckless endangerment and allowing a minor, his son, to illegally possess the weapon.
The 45-year-old freshman lawmaker, who is running for re-election, could have been removed from office had he been found guilty of perjury or the endangerment count - both felonies.
The charges stemmed from the July 2006 death of Regola's neighbor, who was found shot to death in woods behind their homes with the senator's 9 mm Taurus pistol nearby.
Prosecutors had argued that Regola was lying when he denied at a coroner's inquest that his son ever kept the gun in his room.
Regola did not speak after the verdict but released a statement saying he was pleased. He says he hopes the verdict brings some closure to everyone involved in what he called "this tragic episode."
District Attorney John Peck says he accepts the jury's verdict, but believes the witnesses were credible and the outcome should have been different.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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