A man cleared by DNA evidence was supposed to be freed from jail this weekend.
But the bizarre behavior of a Detroit cop during an exoneration hearing Friday delayed the case, and for the moment, has kept the man in jail.
The officer tried talking to the judge in court, claiming he had new evidence.
Detroit Police Chief James White said an internal investigation has been launched.
“We are gonna have a swift investigation on this issue and get to the bottom of it,” White said.
On Friday, the cop tried to talk to Judge Kelly Ramsey in court, saying he had new evidence against Terance Calhoun, who was serving time for two sexual assault cases dating back to the mid 2000s.
But recently discovered DNA evidence cleared Calhoun.
“If he had info that he thought was germaine to the case, then my question is, ‘what opportunities did you have to bring it forward?” White said.
Calhoun’s defense attorneys said the behavior was unprecedented.
“Once you get into the courtroom, you expect the lawyers to take care of these things and not a cop to bring things to a screeching halt,” said Michael Mittlestat of the State Appellate Defender Office.
In response, public defenders said: “We have been informed that the information that the officer attempted to present to the judge is nothing new and has already been thoroughly investigated.”
Calhoun’s family had travelled from Tennessee, expecting to be reunited with their loved one.
Instead, Calhoun remains behind bars.
“If there’s information that needs to be brought forward to a judge or one of the prosecutors, that needs to be done,” White said. “We don’t want to say, ‘don’t do that.’ Certainly, we want to bring that forward. But there’s a way to go about it, and certainly not in an open court appearance.”
In a statement, the State Appellate Defender Office wrote:
“Mr. Calhoun is innocent. DNA testing exonerates him and instead points to a suspected serial rapist. Mr. Calhoun should have been freed today. Instead, because a police officer acting alone with no authority could not face the facts, Mr. Calhoun remains wrongfully incarcerated, which is unconscionable.”
Judge Ramsey adjourned the case till next Wednesday. That’s when we expect to hear from the Wayne County Prosectors Office.