Tango teacher Charles Gale gets a pat on the wrist

Charles Gale, a tango instructor whose teaching methods crossed a slew of lines detailed in the 2007 Westword feature article "Dirty Dancing," received a light sentence after pleading guilty to third-degree misdemeanor assault: nine months of probation. Moreover, he doesn't have to register as a sex offender.

Why did Gale rate such a great deal? As pointed out in this September 5 blog, problems with courtroom recordings made prosecutors fear that if Gale appealed, he might win a new trial. Rather than risk such an outcome, they allowed him to plead to a lesser charge. For that reason, he's having to face less music than he might have otherwise. -- Michael Roberts