CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Nueces County District Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges Friday against longtime OB-GYN Dr. Juan Villarreal after prosecutors said key evidence collected under the previous administration could not be found, leaving them unable to meet mandatory legal requirements before going to trial.
District Attorney James Granberry said the office “had no choice” but to drop the case after discovering that evidence tied to the years-long investigation was missing. Villarreal, who was first arrested in late 2018, had been indicted on multiple felony sexual-assault counts.
Granberry said the dismissal became unavoidable when neither his office nor the Corpus Christi Police Department could legally certify compliance with the Michael Morton Act and the Richard Miles Act — state laws requiring both agencies to swear, under oath, that all evidence has been collected and disclosed…