Oregon bar investigates action by prosecutor
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 10:11 AM PDT
MCMINNVILLE (AP) — The Oregon State Bar is investigating whether a prosecutor violated its professional ethics code by scripting answers for experts who testified at the 2001 trial of a man accused of sexually abusing children.
The bar is also looking into whether the prosecutor, Cal Tichenor, was in violation when he ordered a detective not to take notes in an interview with the girls who were allegedly abused by Lyle Coultas.
Tichenor, now a Yamhill County judge, has denied wrongdoing and predicted the bar would vindicate him. ‘‘The allegations are not meritorious,’’ he told The Oregonian newspaper. ‘‘I’m looking forward to it ending.’’ Coultas, 47, was convicted in 2001 of sexually abusing his daughter and two other girls, and was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison. He maintained his innocence.
