The Somerset County sheriff was acquitted Wednesday of a corruption of minors charge.
The jury’s decision came after about five hours of deliberations, said attorney Matthew Zatko, who represented Dustin Weir, 47, of Quemahoning. Testimony started Tuesday.
“The jury clearly took their time and examined all the evidence and deliberated for almost five hours,” Zatko said, “which I think speaks volumes that this wasn’t a rush to judgement.”
Weir was arrested in October by state police.
He had been accused of taking a 15-year-old girl to the condom aisle of a Walmart during a Shop With a Cop event in December 2024. Walmart security footage shows the girl, Weir and a colleague walking to the condom section and Weir pointing to something on the shelves, according to a criminal complaint.
The girl told investigators Weir made sexual comments to her and asked her to stand next to the condoms for a photo, to which she declined, state police said in the complaint.
Zatko said the defense called three witnesses, including Weir’s colleague who was seen in the surveillance video. That testimony indicated Weir never made any inappropriate comments during the interaction, Zatko said.
During closing arguments, he suggested that the allegations stemmed from a disgruntled ex-employee of the office, according to WTAJ. The girl’s mother told state police that she was fired from her job as a clerk in the sheriff’s office in March 2025.
Both the girl, now 16, and her mother testified at trial, WTAJ reported.
Weir has worked in the sheriff’s office since 2001, according to the Somerset County government website. He became sheriff in 2024 after working as acting sheriff from April 2021 to December 2023. He remains in the elected position, Zatko said.
The case was prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s office. A spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.