Tyson: "Shocked By Giardini Incident"

For more than a decade, Assistant District Attorney Steve Giardini was the lead prosecutor in cases involving the Child Advocacy Center. Since his sudden and unexplained resignation last weekend, there has been concern over how pending child sex abuse cases he was prosecuting will proceed.

In an afternoon news conference, District Attorney John Tyson told reporters that cases are being reassigned and will move forward. The D.A. says after Giardini's resignation Sunday, he had to ask a judge to continue a case that was scheduled to begin trial Monday. Tyson says the suspect in that case suddenly died, so the case now will not have to go to trial. He says it's "business as usual" in the District Attorney's office and that other assistant prosecutors have stepped up and volunteered to take over cases Giardini had been prosecuting.

Tyson says since Giardini is a federal issue, he cannot comment on specifics and will only refer to the situation as an "incident". The D.A. says Giardini is a "good, wonderful, child abuse prosecutor, but like all of us, he is replaceable and he has been". Tyson says his office is investigating, but they think the "incident" was separate and not in any way connected to a pending case. He also says he has no information to suggest that any past Giardini cases are in trouble for appeal or that any child in any way has been compromised. 'We think the incident was separate and not in any way connected to a pending case", says Tyson.

When asked how this case, former judge Herman Thomas' case and a call from the NAACP to resign, will affect his position as District Attorney, Tyson said, "I didn't do what Herman Thomas is alleged to have done and I sure haven't done what Mr. Giardini is alleged to have done".

Meanwhile, documents related to the Federal search warrant executed at Giardini's home remain sealed and off limits to the public. Giardini has not been arrested or charged with any crime.