VES employees, owner appear in court

NORFOLK, Va. - Dana Harrison left a Norfolk courthouse by slamming a door on 10 On Your Side's camera.

It happened after a judge dropped an assault charge against her. Harrison, office manager Crystal Harrison and Virginia Employment Services owner James O'Leary dodged our camera and questions on a mad dash to an awaiting vehicle.

Just before driving off, a smug Crystal Harrison blew a kiss to our camera.

The trio were in court after a former client charged the Harrisons with assault and O'Leary with threatening to kill her. A judge dropped the case because the client, Maria Garcia, filed the same charges this year that she filed after the incident happened last August. The case was dismissed.

O'Leary's attorney Roger Griffin says Garcia refiled because of recent 10 On Your Side stories regarding VES's business practices.

"She had dismissed the charges before and without an inkling of why she would do it, she refiled the charges. The only thing I can guess is a lot of publicity made my clients suffer these new charges," says Griffin.

Virginia Attorney General William Mims filed a lawsuit in July after the state asked the O'Leary's to stop promising employment to paying clients. It alleges the company's business practices violate the Consumer Protection act by defrauding customers. The O'Leary's face thousands of dollars in fines if convicted.

Garcia refuses to let the dismissal sway her and she plans to appeal.

"This is a criminal people that they're letting go and they don't even want to hear what happened and they kept continuing hurting people. I can't believe the business is still running after all this mess is going on," says Garcia.

A court date for the Attorney General's lawsuit has not yet been set. The office is still waiting for a response from the O'Leary's and their attorney.