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A House committee investigating an ethics complaint against its former leader has picked an independent prosecutor to pursue the case.

Questions about whether or not the committee would pursue the complaint arose after a Leon County judge dismissed one of two charges facing former House Speaker Ray Sansom earlier this week. Selecting a prosecutor is a good indicator that the committee will see the complaint through, but committee Chairman Bill Galvano says nothing is set in stone.

“From a procedural standpoint, the official misconduct charges, having been dismissed, may play into our decision making as to whether or not we can move forward with an evidentiary hearing, but those decisions will probably be made when we get back together in November,” said Galvano.

The committee selected former statewide prosecutor, and registered Democrat, Melanie Hines. Even though Sansom and most of the committee are Republicans, they expect Hines to be fair.