Charges Dropped Against Law Grad Who Refused to Reveal ‘Pedigree Info’

Prosecutors have dropped charges against a law school graduate accused of refusing to reveal his country of origin to a police officer investigating a complaint of improper staring.

Prosecutors dropped charges against Vesselin Dittrich, 64, on Tuesday after the woman who complained about his staring did not show up in court, report the New York Times and the Hudson Reporter. Dittrich works as a Bulgarian translator, though he is a law grad.

Dittrich told the Times last month that he was staring at the heavily tattooed woman on the train in the station at Hoboken, N.J., because, with his faulty eyesight, she looked blue. When a Port Authority police officer arrived, Dittrich provided his name and address but refused to identify his country of origin.

The officer charged Dittrich with disorderly conduct for causing “public annoyance” and “refusing to provide pedigree info.” The woman also filed a harassment complaint. Both cases were dismissed, the Times says.

Dittrich spoke to reporters after the dismissal, according to the Hudson Reporter. “I can’t say I feel vindicated, because I didn’t have my day in court,” Dittrich said.