John Travolta extortion case dropped in the Bahamas

With John Travolta declining to take the stand again in the Bahamas, the prosecution has dropped charges against two people accused of attempted extortion in the wake of the death of the actor's teenage son, Jett.

The move, apparently at the request of the Travolta family, came after jury selection had been completed and the retrial was about to begin. Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne and his attorney, politician Pleasant Bridgewater, had been accused of threatening to release private information abut the circumstances surrounding the teen's death -- specifically that John Travolta had signed a document nixing treatment at a local hospital -- unless the actor coughed up $25 million.

"The long-pending status of this matter continued to take a heavy emotional toll on my family, causing us to conclude that it was finally time to put this matter behind us," Travolta said in a statement.

The first trip to court ended in a mistrial last October.

Jett died in January 2009 after suffering a seizure while the family was on vacation at ... 

... their home near Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.

After the case was dismissed, Bridgewater said she hoped this would open a new chapter for the family; Lightbourne said he'd wanted a trial so he could clear his name.

Travolta and wife Kelly Preston -- who also have a daughter, Ella Bleu -- revealed in May that they are expecting a new baby in November, and confirmed in August that it'll be a boy.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Ella Bleu and John Travolta at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre 41st Anniversary Gala on Aug. 7 in Los Angeles. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:

John Travolta and Kelly Preston get two for one? Couple's rep says no

John Travolta's dogs killed in accident at Maine airport

Comments

[Eve]

Wow, Ella Bleu is gorgeous!

[Jennyy]

Why was this article written to make it sound like there was more than just the "refusal to transpot" document involved in the extortion attempt. There were no other "private information" involved.

It is media most responsible for wild speculation and assumptions on cases involving celebrities or politicans.