YORK COUNTY — Criminal charges against the Maryland man accused of pulling on the leash he had placed around his wife’s neck while walking around last year’s York Fair have been dropped by the York County District Attorney’s Office, court documents show.
Walter William Wolford Sr., 67, had been charged with simple assault in the incident, which occurred on Sept. 15 at the York Fairgrounds. At the time of his arrest, Wolford told police his wife had advanced-stage dementia, and he used the leash to prevent her from getting lost.
When he and his wife had visited the Fair the year before, Wolford told police, she had wandered off, and it took more than an hour to locate her.
Wolford told police he originally had the leash around his wife’s waist, but it worked its way up to her neck. When she walked away, Wolford said, he “gently tugged at the leash so she would stop.”
Wolford’s son and daughter-in-law, who were also attending the Fair, told police that Wolford was not abusive.
On Tuesday, York County Common Pleas Judge Harry M. Ness on Tuesday signed an order dismissing the case.
