DETROIT – The charges for violating probation against Charlie Bothuell's stepmother were dropped in a hearing on Friday afternoon.
Monique Dillard-Bothuell's defense insisted that there was no sufficient evidence that she had violated the terms of her probation, and the judge dropped the charges.
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Her defense suggested that the alleged weapon may have been in the home without Dillard-Bothuell's knowledge, or that it was disassembled.
The prosecution claimed that the FBI declined to send a witness to testify against the defendant because of the ongoing investigation involving her stepson, Charlie.
The judge also ruled that the tether be removed from the defendant.
Dillard-Bothuell was arrested for possession of a firearm, which violated a previous conviction for purchasing a pistol without a permit.
She has been out on bond since her last court hearing.
Dillard-Bothuell's arrest in June came a day after her 12-year-old stepson, Charlie, was found in the family's basement.
Detroit police and the FBI had spent 11 days looking for the boy after he was reported missing by his father.
Allegations of abuse
The state wants to terminate the parental rights for Dillard-Bothuell and the boy's father, Charlie Bothuell IV, on allegations of abuse.
The state also Dillard-Bothuell ordered him to the basement on June 14. Charlie told caseworkers that he would sneak upstairs for food.
Dillard-Bothuell's two other children, a 4-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter, have also been turned over to Child Protective Services.