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Judge dismisses criminal charges against Kansas water park owner, designer of 17-story slide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated

In this Oct. 30, 2018 photo, crews dismantle the Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kan. A judge has dismissed criminal charges against the Kansas water park owner and the designer of a 17-story slide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated in 2016. The Kansas City Star reports that Wyandotte County Judge Robert Burns found Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, that state prosecutors showed grand jurors inadmissible evidence in dismissing second-degree murder charges against Schlitterbahn owner Jeff Henry and designer John Schooley. (Charlie Riedel / AP)
Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. – A judge has dismissed criminal charges against a Kansas water park owner and the designer of a 17-story slide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated in 2016.

The Kansas City Star reports that Wyandotte County Judge Robert Burns found Friday that state prosecutors showed grand jurors inadmissible evidence in dismissing second-degree murder charges against Schlitterbahn owner Jeff Henry and designer John Schooley. The judge also dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against operations manager Tyler Miles.

State prosecutors didn’t immediately return phone and email messages. They alleged that shoddy planning and maintenance led to Caleb Schwab’s death on a special day for elected officials. Caleb’s father is Scott Schwab, a state lawmaker who’s now Kansas secretary of state.

Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio says the company is working on a statement.