Missouri special prosecutor won’t bring charges against Greitens

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) will not face charges from a special prosecutor after he was forced to resign from office over allegations of blackmail, sexual misconduct and invasion of privacy.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who was named in May as a special prosecutor in the case, announced Friday that she would not refile a felony invasion-of-privacy charge against Greitens, Reuters reports.

The former governor was accused of taking a photo of a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair without her consent, and threatening to release it publicly if she disclosed the relationship.

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Prosecutors were unable to produce the photo, however, and made a deal with Greitens that struck a charge of computer tampering related to campaign financing.

Baker announced Friday that she would not indict Greitens for the remaining invasion-of-privacy charge.

Greitens repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and complained of “legal harassment” against him, but resigned in late May upon facing impeachment from Missouri’s GOP-led legislature.

“For the moment, let us walk off the battlefield with our heads held high,” the governor said in a brief statement on the day of his resignation.

Attorneys for the former governor did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Michael Parson (R), who previously served as the state’s lieutenant governor, was sworn in as Missouri’s 57th governor last week following Greitens’s resignation.