Charges of witness intimidation and criminal harassment against an employee of the U.S. Secret Service last summer in Edgartown District Court have been dismissed.
Douglas Vines, who had been assigned to former President Barack Obama’s Vineyard security detail, was arraigned on the charges at the Dukes County courthouse in October.
Police reports obtained by The Times last year revealed that an unnamed woman had accused Vines of sexual assault in July 2022. The woman said that the Secret Service protection officer threatened to share nude photographs and expose her immigration status if she went to police.
Vines had allegedly been in a short relationship with the victim, who resides on Martha’s Vineyard, and had supposedly told him that she was in the U.S. without a proper visa.
After his arraignment, Vines was released on his own recognizance.
On May 26, an Edgartown District Court judge ruled for the case to be dismissed, dropping both charges due to “failure to prosecute,” after the alleged victim opted not to continue with the case for privacy reasons.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
