CLAYTON • Criminal and civil complaints accusing Sunset Hills Mayor Mark Furrer of striking a bicycle rider with his car as the two men traded insults in 2014 have been dropped.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Wednesday that the victim in the crash “significantly embellished” his testimony at a trial last month, dealing a fatal blow to the case.

The cyclist, Randy Murdick, of Fenton, dropped a separate civil lawsuit Wednesday, according to his lawyer, Gary K. Burger Jr. Burger declined to comment further and said he doubted his client would talk. Murdick did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Asked about the embellishments in a news conference Wednesday afternoon, McCulloch mentioned Murdick’s claims about the extent of damage to his bicycle, as well as his claim that he was unable to ride it after the crash.

McCulloch said the “real tragedy” was that the embellishments were not about facts material to the case. He said that he believes the two independent witnesses who said that Furrer “turned into (Murdick) intentionally, intending to cause physical injury.”