Gerald Dixon is still a Whitehall City Council member after a second attempt to remove him from office failed Tuesday night.
Dixon is accused of sexually abusing multiple underage boys dating back to 1996. Charges against him were dropped but are expected to be refiled.
In an earlier attempt to remove Dixon last month, only Councilman Larry Morrison defended Dixon and voted to keep him on council. Morrison said people felt the move was being rushed.
In a discordant, two-and-a-half-hour meeting Tuesday night, Councilmen Brian McCann and Mike Adkins joined Morrison in voting against Dixon's removal, splitting the council three to three on the matter. Both McCann and Adkins are newly elected and did not participate in the first vote.
All six members must be unanimous in their decision in order to remove Dixon from office.
Councilmembers Amy Harcar, Devin Brown and Lori Elmore voted for Dixon's removal on Tuesday.
"I don't know what will happen after today," Harcar said. "All I can say is that there is still an investigation. There's still a court proceeding to come. And I hope that Mr. Dixon gets his day in court sooner rather than later."
Dixon said that a lot of assumptions were being made and he implied that he is innocent.
"While some in this government and in society move through this situation carrying an assumption of guilt, I, the one in the center of the storm, move as one who is not," Dixon said.
Dixon was sworn into a new term on council on Dec. 9, hours after he was released from jail on charges he sexually abused children.
A Franklin County Municipal Court judge dropped the initial charges against Dixon in late December. Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen said it's common practice in cases like Dixon's to dismiss charges then reintroduce them to a grand jury with additional evidence.
