The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $155,000 to settle a lawsuit by a man who spent a weekend in jail. The problem: State police had arrested the wrong guy.
Billy Rowe of Calhoun County was arrested on child pornography charges in 2011. But he was the wrong Rowe. The real suspect had the same first name and last name but a different middle name. He also lived 120 miles away.
WOOD-TV says the settlement was disclosed in documents obtained through a public records request.
The wrong Rowe was released after three days in jail, but he says he had to ride 100 miles home with his hands cuffed behind him.
The attorney general’s office fought the lawsuit, but lost key procedural decisions.
