Lake County Man Exonerated In Rape, Abduction After 20 Years In Prison
(CBS) -- Prosecutors in the north suburbs have formally dismissed criminal charges against a Waukegan man who's been behind bars for 20 years for a rape he did not commit, reports WBBM's Steve Miller.
41-year-old Angel Gonzalez has spent almost 21 years in prison for rape and abduction, a crime that DNA evidence and the current Lake County prosecutor say he did not commit.
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The court hearing where charges were dropped was brief and afterward he hugged his three attorneys, including Innocence Project lawyers Barry Scheck and Vanessa Potkin.
Scheck commends the Lake Country Prosecutor for reopening the investigation into the rape and abduction case against Gonzalez.
"I think that all the people in Lake County should feel good that their district attorney's office cares about correcting wrongful convictions," Scheck said. "We've been in Lake County before, and it wasn't so easy."
This was the first of three hurdles for Gonzalez. He still faces charges for destroying prison property in the 90s and his immigration status is uncertain but his attorneys are hopeful he will soon be free and allowed to join his family.
This is the fifth time in five years that Lake County has dropped charges in a major felony case.
