<I>Survivor</i> Won't Face Charges
Rhode Island prosecutors dropped a second-degree child abuse charge Monday against Survivor winner Richard Hatch, who had been accused of wrapping his hands around the neck of his 9-year-old son in April.
No explanation for the dismissal was given in the document filed by prosecutors in state court. Jim Martin, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said he could not comment because Hatch is suing the state.
Hatch has insisted since his arrest that he is innocent and that police mishandled the case. He filed suit against the state's child welfare agency, claiming it wrongly removed his son from his home. He also has sued his hometown, Middletown, for more than $1 million for alleged wrongful arrest and defamation.
Shortly after the arrest, a judge ordered the state child welfare agency to return the child to Hatch.
Despite the lawsuit, the council plans to honor Hatch with a proclamation at its Sept. 5 meeting, said George Andrade, Middletown Town Council president.
Hatch returned home a celebrity Sunday, five days after the Survivor finale was viewed by more than 50 million Americans. He vowed his newfound fame won't change him, reports CBS affiliate WPRI-TV.
Hatch signed autographs as he collected his bags at T.F. Green Airport. He said he's been weighing different offers and will decide what to do next. This week, Hatch is serving as the guest host of a talk show on a radio station in East Providence, R.I., and he may write a book about his experience on Survivor island.
Hatch's son said his dad wrapped his hands around his neck when he tired on a run in April, days after the 39-year-old corporate trainer returned from filming the CBS show. Hatch said the boy concocted the story because he was angry about being forced to exercise.
Hatch says his right to privacy was violated, and he was arrested without a proper investigation.
Hatch said the dropping of the charges Monday further proved his constitutional rights were violated.
"They're unprofessional, irresponsible, unethical," Hatch said of the police. "They've really not investigated anything."
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