CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland prosecutors dropped a littering charge Thursday against an Elyria man who had been handed a $344 ticket after he tried to give money to a panhandler in a wheelchair and the bills fell to the ground.

Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Cudnik announced the decision during a hearing in Cleveland Municipal Court, where John Davis, a 42-year-old heating and cooling technician, had appeared to contest his ticket.

"It's the city's decision that money is not trash," Cudnik said.

The case has generated national news coverage.

A police officer cited Davis for throwing litter from a vehicle last month, after observing Davis stop at the West 117th Street exit ramp off Interstate 90 and the two dollar bills meant for the panhandler hit the ground.

Davis said after Thursday's court appearance that the case was "ludicrous."

"I'm happy it's done. It's over and they dropped it," he said.

Cleveland police spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia said officer Joseph Cavanagh issued the wrong ticket. Davis should have been cited under a law that prohibits soliciting or giving donations on the roadway, she said.

Ciaccia also defended Cavanagh, who appeared in court for the hearing but did not testify.

"I don't think the policeman deserves to be shredded," she said. "People make mistakes. He wrote the wrong code."

She also said police discourage giving to panhandlers because the money often goes to alcohol and drugs.

"We would recommend you contribute to an advocacy group," she said.

But Davis defended giving to the disabled man.

"I saw him sitting in the wheelchair," Davis said. "I don't care what anybody says. He's not going to be there unless he needs the help."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: hspector@plaind.com, 216-999-4543