By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News

Charges have been dismissed against a Wichita Falls man who was accused of impersonating a city towing contractor online, an official said on Monday.

Thomas Cecil Sims, 49, initially was charged with online impersonation in February when it was alleged that he made a Facebook account mocking city contractor Jody Wade. A Wichita County District Attorney's Office employee told the Times Record News the charge has been dismissed.

The dismissal came in the form of a no-bill, which indicates a grand jury opted not to pursue charges. The reasoning behind grand jury decisions generally are not made public.

According to an arrest affidavit, Sims created a Facebook page for "Joe Deep Wade," making its profile picture one of Wade's mug shots. The contractor has been arrested at least twice for alcohol-related offenses, though the charges were dismissed and expunged from his record.

Wade reportedly received a friend request on his actual Facebook account from the parody account and made a report to the Wichita Falls Police Department. He told police that several of his friends had received requests from the fake account also, the affidavit says.

Sims said on Monday that Wade "acts like he's Boss Hogg in Hazzard County."

In an email, Wade characterized the dropped charge as a failure of the justice system.

"Our lawmakers intended for this law to protect our online identity and while sometimes our justice system fails, I will not tolerate harassment from this individual any longer therefore we will move forward in handling this matter in civil court," Wade wrote. "... Private investigators are being used to prepare action against this individual civilly."