11-22-2014
SEATTLE (AP) - A man who had been in prison for nearly two decades was released from custody Thursday, two years after his supposed victim recanted allegations that he molested her.
Jerry Lee Brock, 55, had been in prison since his conviction for first-degree molestation in 1995. In 2012, the alleged victim, Regina Rush, came forward to say she made the whole thing up, partly as a way to get more attention from her mother.
Last week, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price ordered a new trial after finding the recantation credible, and on Thursday, he signed an order vacating Brock's conviction. The order stated that Brock "shall no longer remain in the custody of the Washington State Department of Corrections."
"He was all smiles," said Brock's lawyer, public defender Patrick O'Connor. "His brother was there to pick him up and take him home. It was very satisfying to see."
Brock was released with a few conditions, including that he remain in the state, not possess firearms and not use drugs. A new trial was scheduled for February, but it wasn't clear prosecutors would proceed with it, given that the girl's story was the primary evidence against him.
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