In a surprising turn of events, the arrest warrant for Pennsylvania State Rep. Kevin Boyle was withdrawn on Monday, as announced by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Both Boyle and Krasner are Democrats. Krasner is a “woke” DA backed by billionaire George Soros.
The withdrawal of the arrest warrant comes at a good time for Pennsylvania House Democrats, who currently hold a one-vote majority with 102 out of 203 members. It also comes just one day before Boyle faces a serious primary challenge.
A special election for the one vacant seat in a Republican-leaning district will take place alongside the general primary on Tuesday.
The warrant, originally issued for an alleged violation of a protection from abuse order (PFA), was reportedly canceled after the DA’s office confirmed that the dates for the order and the alleged violation did not align.
“A detective acted on all the information he had, none of it was false. None of it was fake. None of it was forged. But there was a piece that was missing,” Krasner claimed during a news conference.
While there may still be grounds for other charges, Krasner stated that there is no longer probable cause for the violation of a protective order.
Boyle has served in the House since 2011, representing part of Northeast Philadelphia, but has faced recent scrutiny after a videotaped incident at a Montgomery County bar in February, where he appeared intoxicated and threatened to use his political power against the owners.
As a result, he was stripped of a committee chairmanship and Capitol access privileges.
Last week, Boyle voted remotely amid reports of the now-canceled warrant, prompting Pennsylvania House Democratic leaders to propose a process for determining whether state representatives are “incapacitated” and should face sanctions or expulsion.
The resolution would create a five-member group of House leaders to assess if a representative is physically or mentally impaired and unable to perform their duties.
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, when asked about the resolution’s progress, described Boyle as a “dear friend” and expressed sadness over his “deteriorating mental health over the past few months.”
This is not the first time Boyle has reportedly dodged an arrest. Three years ago, he was charged with harassment and violation of a protection from abuse order after showing up at his wife’s house. Those charges were also later dropped, and his attorney at the time described the incident as a “domestic issue” that did not involve allegations of violence. Boyle subsequently received treatment at a mental health facility.
Boyle, the brother of U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia, is facing a Democratic primary challenger, Sean Dougherty, on Tuesday in his bid for an eighth term.
When questioned about the timing of the announcement, given its proximity to the Pennsylvania primary, Krasner claimed his office wasn’t being favorable to Boyle.
“If the question is whether somehow we’re doing this now because of an election, my office has been pretty clear that we try to operate in a way that is truly even handed, that we try to treat on famous people very much the way we might treat famous people. Regardless of what candidate I might like or might not like, I don’t think it’s right.”
Stephen Dietrich is the publisher of The Horn News