Felony charges were dismissed Tuesday in the case of the 14-year-old boy who was accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl at Cherry Hill Park in late August. The case, which was largely perfunctory because of deal struck prior to the trial, was tried in Falls Church City’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

The boy entered an Alford plea (a guilty plea where the defendant does not admit to the criminal act and asserts innocence) to the misdemeanor assault and battery charge against him and received a maximum of two years probation. The terms of the boy’s probation will be determined at a hearing in early February. The boy’s mother maintains her son’s innocence.

“The three felony charges were dropped because there was no evidence and there were no witnesses,” the defendant’s mother said. “There was nothing to support these claims.”