Albion Man To Receive $155,000 Settlement From State
The state of Michigan will pay a Calhoun County man $155,000 after authorities arrested him for a crime he did not commit. According to Wood TV, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office agreed to a settlement with Billy Dean Rowe of Albion, without admitting to any wrongdoing.
In 2011, Billy Dean Rowe was arrested on child pornography charges and jailed for several days before authorities realized their mistake. A report by Michigan State Police Flint Post Trooper Dennis Milburn had misidentified the suspect. The real suspect was Billy Joe Rowe, who lived in Clio, Michigan. The actual suspect confessed to the child porn but was never charged. Now, due to statute of limitations, he can not be charged.
The settlement with the state came just weeks before Billy Dean Rowe’s case against the trooper was set to go to trial. The attorney general’s office was representing Michigan State Police Flint Post Trooper Milburn and tried to have the suit thrown out several times. The Michigan Supreme Court ultimately found that the trooper could be sued.