NEWPORT — Tiverton police yesterday dismissed a misdemeanor domestic case against Robert T. Oliveira, a candidate for School Committee in Newport.

The department’s prosecutor dropped the charge — making crank/obscene phone calls — as Oliveira appeared for a pretrial conference in District Court.

Tiverton police issued an arrest warrant for Oliveira, 41, of 30 Bellevue Ave., Apt. 1, after a local woman complained last year that he had made harassing calls to her after she ended their relationship. The warrant was issued in June of last year, but Oliveira wasn’t arrested until Newport police picked him up last month.

Yesterday, Tiverton Deputy Chief Nicholas Maltais said the charge was dropped for “insufficient evidence.” He offered no specifics, saying only that charges are reviewed jointly by police prosecutors and the town solicitor’s office, and if “there isn’t sufficient evidence, then a case will be dismissed.”

Oliveira is making his second run for School Committee. He sought the position four years ago and lost a bid for City Council two years ago.

Last month, the police reduced the charge to a misdemeanor, from a felony, after it was determined that it was not the third domestic charge lodged against him.

In 2002, Oliveira pleaded no contest in District Court to making harassing phone calls to Town Hall officials in Lincoln. That same year, he pleaded guilty to domestic simple assault in Newport. In 2001, he pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge in Tiverton

Oliveira contacted the media yesterday to announce the impending dismissal of the case. Last month, when the charged was reduced from a felony, he issued a statement.

“I would like to thank the Tiverton police for their professionalism. They realized that the case was charged in error,” he said. “Eventually, their professionalism will lead them to a further conclusion: there’s no case here.”

rsalit@projo.com