Charges dropped against Nixa man accused of illegally circumcising two teens

Prosecutors dropped the charges last week against a Nixa man who had been accused of illegally circumcising two teenagers.

Curtis Abbott, 48, was indicted in August 2018 on felony charges of child endangerment and unauthorized practice of medicine or surgery.

Abbott, who is not a doctor, had been accused of illegally performing two circumcisions, and he was looking at possible prison time.

Last week, however, Abbott's attorney Stacie Bilyeu said the Christian County Prosecutor's Office dropped the charges against Abbott during a pre-trial court appearance.

"We are very pleased with the result," Bilyeu said. "Curtis is happy to have this behind him and move on with his life."

Bilyeu declined to comment on the specifics of the case or what evidence might have led prosecutors to change course.

Christian County Prosecutor Amy Fite said the state announced in open court last week that it was dismissing the case against Abbott pursuant to a deferred prosecution agreement.

Previous coverage: Nixa man, a failed polygamist and minister, accused of illegally circumcising 2 teens

Fite said she could not comment on the specifics of Abbott's case, but deferred prosecution agreements typically contain provisions about the defendant obeying all laws and sometimes attending anger management classes or other types of counseling.

If defendants violate those provisions, then prosecutors can refile the original criminal charges.

Fite said she could not comment on why prosecutors came to the decision to drop the charges against Abbott.

Since the charges originally came via a grand jury indictment, the public court documents in Abbott's case provided scant details about the allegations, only that he was accused of performing illegal circumcisions in May 2018.

Filings in Abbott's 2017 divorce case shed more light on Abbott and his strong religious convictions.

The filings say Abbott claimed to have multiple prophetic communications, raised exotic livestock and had a strong interest in polygamy.

In a 2018 exchange with a News-Leader reporter, Abbott said the allegations against him in the circumcision case were false and he looked forward to clearing his name.

Bilyeu declined to make her client available for an interview on Wednesday.