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Prosecutor Won’t Appeal Forgotten ’72 Ohio Cop-Shooting Case

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A prosecutor has decided not to purse attempts to try an 82-year-old man in the nonfatal shooting of an Ohio police officer 45 years ago.

Defendant Charles Hays was indicted, but never prosecuted, as the case fell through the cracks.

A Franklin County judge dismissed the case earlier this year, saying Ohio had at least two opportunities over the past four decades to bring Hays back for trial.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien says he decided against an appeal after reviewing the likelihood of success and because of concerns about a higher court precedent regarding speedy trial rights.

Columbus police officer Niki Cooper was hit in the left arm in March 1972 when he and his partner interrupted a burglary on the city’s southeast side.