Solicitation charges dropped against Patriots owner Robert Kraft

State prosecutors in Florida dropped two solicitation of prostitution charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday, CNN reported.

Kraft was one of dozens charged in relation to a prostitution and human trafficking investigation at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., last year.

“Although there was probable cause to make an arrest, the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution,” State Attorney David Aronberg wrote in court documents, according to CNN. 

The charges were dropped after the state solicitor general would not seek a second appeal in the case after a lower court decision to throw out evidence related to Kraft’s involvement. Kraft’s legal team challenged the validity of the search warrant that allowed authorities to install hidden cameras inside the spa.

A Palm Beach County judge agreed last year to suppress the video, which was the main piece of evidence pinning him to the crime. 

“The type of law enforcement surveillance utilized in these cases is extreme,” the appellate court ruling said, CNN reported. “While there will be situations which may warrant the use of the techniques at issue, the strict Fourth Amendment safeguards developed over the past few decades must be observed. If they are not, any evidence obtained could very well be declared inadmissible as a matter of constitutional law.”