Court charges were dropped against former UTPD and KPD officer Anthony Rizo, who was arrested for stalking in December, according to court documents filed on Aug. 25 and obtained by WATE.
Stalking and observation without consent charges against Rizo, 34, in Paulding County, Georgia, were dismissed nolle prosequi, or without prosecution, on account of there being insufficient evidence for the case. An additional fugitive from justice charge from Knox County was dismissed in June.
Rizo was accused of stalking and observation without consent last December in Georgia. Records say Rizo drove from Knoxville to Georgia to stalk a man he thought was in a relationship with his estranged wife.
Rizo was taken into custody by Knox County sheriffs and awaited extradition to Georgia in Knox County Jail. He was also fired by UTPD, for which he was working at the time, following the accusations.
“We have high expectations for the behavior of our officers both on and off duty,” UTPD Chief Sean Patterson said in a statement on Dec. 5. “His alleged behavior does not reflect the values of our agency, and he is no longer employed by our agency.”
The Aug. 25 court documents said that the court would seal criminal record information regarding the case and that information about the case would not be revealed without court approval unless it was for law enforcement purposes.
UTPD provided the statement from December by Patterson, and KPD declined to provide comment on the dropped charges.
