AG: Prosecutor used influence in cases involving girlfriend

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The attorney general says a 72-year-old Pennsylvania prosecutor obstructed justice and misused the power of his office by improperly intervening in criminal cases involving his 39-year-old girlfriend.
The charges filed late Thursday against Mercer County District Attorney Miles Karson include nine counts of obstructing the administration of law and six of official oppression, among others.
Karson’s defense attorney, Alexander Lindsay Jr., didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday, but told WTAE-TV that the investigation is politically charged.
Karson is accused of asking the woman’s probation officer last year to not put her in jail after she acknowledged using heroin. He also allegedly tried to get a judge to release her on bond instead of jailing her in criminal cases by claiming to be a family friend when he was actually her boyfriend.