Nearly five months after Little Compton town councilor Andrew Iriarte-Moore was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, the charges against him and his husband have been dismissed.

In late August 2022, Iriarte-Moore called the police to report a neighbor who had been walking her dogs off-leash near his home on Watson Way. A run-in with the walker, Karen Zarriello, escalated and a week later he and his husband, Raúl, were each charged with disorderly conduct; Raul faced an additional charge of simple assault following the incident. Zarriello was cited for keeping her dogs off leash; it was the third such charge for her.

Iriarte-Moore pled not guilty and waived a jury trial in October. Subsequently, he and his husband appeared at three other hearings before three different judges in District Court in Newport; the most recent last Friday, Feb. 3.

On Friday, Associate Judge William J. Trezvant  dismissed the charges after the town's attorney, Matt Chappell, and the couple's attorney, reportedly agreed that in return for them being dropped, the Moores would make a charitable contribution to the organization of their choice.

“Raúl and I are thankful that cooler heads prevailed and our charges were dropped,” Iriarte-Moore said. “We are grateful to live in a country where justice can still eventuate, although it is not the case for all. We were happy to put this ordeal to rest and ensure that the taxpayers didn’t encumber any further expenses.”

“Raúl and I were glad to make a contribution to Love Wins Coastal to support the work they do to help LGBTQ members of our community, often some of the most marginalized and at risk folks.”