On Christmas Eve, 2014, a Manassas man turned to police to report being struck in the face multiple times by his wife. When the police arrived, his wife and daughter covered up the assault, saying that he had never been hit. The police sided with the wife and daughter, arresting Oates’ client, charging him with a false police report. A false police report criminal charge carries a potential 12 months in jail.
At trial in Prince William County General District Court, the prosecutor insisted on going forward with the charge. Oates would not back down for his innocent client.
Once the trial began, it was clear that Oates’ client was falsely accused. On cross-examination, the daughter admitted that she was in a different room when the alleged incident happened. Oates also pointed out the clear bias of the daughter against her father.
Ultimately, the judge saw through their story and found Oates’ client not guilty of the charge. Oates’ client continues to enjoy a clean criminal record.