Attorney recuses himself in case against man accused of raping and murdering Angie Dodge
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IDAHO FALLS — The case against a man accused of raping and murdering Angie Dodge in 1996 is being handed over to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Daniel Clark announced he is recusing himself from prosecuting Dripps due to a potential conflict of interest.
“Christopher Tapp has filed a notice of Tort Claim gainst the city of Idaho Falls, as well as any entity which has been involved in his case in the past,” Clark said in a news release.
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Tapp was wrongly convicted in 1998 for the rape and murder of Dodge and spent 20 years in prison. He was exonerated in July 2019 after DNA evidence led to Dripps’ arrest.
The notice of Tort Claim includes Bonneville County. As the Bonneville County Prosecutor, Clark is also the attorney for the county and elected county officials. His representation of the county in court, if Tapps were to file a lawsuit, could result in a conflict of interest.
“In speaking with colleagues from the Bar Council’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office as it relates specifically to the integrity of the prosecution of Mr. Dripps, we felt that this was the appropriate course of action,” Clark told EastIdahoNews.com
Clark stressed in the news release that the decision comes from a desire to protect both the investigation and Dripp’s due process rights.
“We have requested the assistance of the office of the Attorney General to handle the criminal prosecution of Mr. Dripps,” Clark said in the news release.
Dripps’ trial is scheduled to begin on June 8, 2021.
EastIdahoNews.com has a page devoted to the Angie Dodge murder case. Click here to learn more.