Missouri man imprisoned 13 years late has been set free by judge
"I'll never have to look over my shoulder again."That's what Cornealious "Mike" Anderson tells Carol, two days after a judge ruled he didn't have to complete a 13-year sentence for robbery he should have started in 2000 -- but didn't begin until last year because of a clerical error. In the meantime, Mr. Anderson had been a model citizen, started...
"I'll never have to look over my shoulder again."
That's what Cornealious "Mike" Anderson tells Carol, two days after a judge ruled he didn't have to complete a 13-year sentence for robbery he should have started in 2000 -- but didn't begin until last year because of a clerical error. In the meantime, Mr. Anderson had been a model citizen, started a business, and built a family.
Mr. Anderson explains that, after he was convicted, the prosecution in his case was convinced he was in prison, even though he, and his lawyer, said he was at his home on bail.
So he waited to be picked up. And waited. And waited.
Last summer, his name came up for release. That was when officials finally realized their mistake. And a SWAT team descended on Mr. Anderson's house and took him away, He'd been in prison until last Monday.
On Monday, a judge declared that was unnecessary punishment. "You've been a good father. You've been a good husband. You've been a good taxpaying citizen of the state of Missouri," the judge said. "That leads me to believe that you are a good man and a changed man."
Listen to Mike Anderson describe how it felt to hear those words by clicking the "Listen" link above.