Dec 23, 2008 2:03 pm US/Pacific
Innocent LA Man To Spend 5th Christmas Behind Bars
SEATTLE (AP) ―
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James Anderson was wrongfully convicted of armed robbery and will be spending his fifth Christmas behind bars because severe storms have delayed the paperwork that must be completed before his release.
CBS
A 31-year-old Los Angeles man is about to spend his fifth straight Christmas behind bars. The difference this time is he's no longer a convict, and he's snowed in.
A state appeals court erased James Anderson's conviction for armed robbery this month, saying new evidence uncovered by a University of Washington Law School student corroborates what Anderson has always said: He was in California when a group of men hit a Tacoma grocery store in 2004.
Prosecutors joined Anderson's lawyers in asking for his immediate release, but severe winter storms closed the court and helped delay the paperwork that must be completed before his release.
It's unclear how soon he can get out of the Walla Walla state penitentiary in eastern Washington. His family in Los Angeles is eager to see him whenever he arrives.
His mother, Yuralene Spencer in Los Angeles, says, "Everyone is so happy, full of joy, like God gave us the best present we ever had."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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