ORANGE COUNTY, Fla — A Central Florida judge accused of lewd molestation will not face charges, according to a filing by the Daytona-Beach State Attorney R.J. Larizza.
According to a memo from Lariazza’s office, the decision to not charge former judge Alan Apte comes after prosecutors could not prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the allegations against Apte were true.
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The filing notes discrepancies in the alleged victim’s statements to school personnel and investigators about the nature and timing of the alleged incident.
Investigators also noted that at the time the incident was reported, Apte had been involved in an eviction proceeding against her and her mother.
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The accusations against Apte came to light in October when former Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis stating that she was voluntarily disqualifying herself from investigating the allegations against Apte and asking that the governor assign the case to another state attorney.
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Apte was first elected in 2002 and had been assigned to the civil division, which focuses mainly on guardianship, mental health and risk protection cases until losing his bid for reelection in August of 2020.
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