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He spent 10 years in prison on sexual assault charges. Those charges have now been dismissed after the State's highest court ruled he was innocent.

In August, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled the man had established clear and convincing evidence that he was innocent. The court vacated his conviction.
Credit: Micha? Chodyra
Photo: Thinkstock

FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth man previously-convicted of sexual assault – but has since been deemed innocent by the State – has now had those charges officially dropped, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. 

Roger Earl Hawkins, 49, had his 1993 conviction overruled by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in August after an investigation by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) determined he was innocent.

"This is about setting the record straight," Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a press release.

The CIU and Hawkins' court-appointed attorney, Adam Arrington, also determined that Hawkins' due process rights were violated because prosecutors in 1993 withheld favorable material evidence, including alibi information.

“The criminal justice system failed Mr. Hawkins,” CIU Chief Steven Conder said. "He was wrongfully convicted because there was no thorough investigation of his case or defense of him. Mr. Hawkins’ life was fundamentally altered by mistakes made and I'm proud we were able to correct them."

Hawkins spent 10 years in prison for his 1993 conviction.

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