Image via WSYX ABC 6
Ralph Blaine Smith, a 49-year-old Black man who was wrongly detained for more than two decades, will receive $1.3 million from the state of Ohio.
The Columbus citizen, who was charged with committing an armed robbery in Lancaster, was given a 67-year jail sentence in 2000, according to the Columbus Dispatch. According to the prosecution, Smith and another Black man broke into a house where two parents and their kids were living. The couple informed authorities that the burglars gave them the instruction to open a basement safe that was filled with priceless things. The men allegedly stole expensive jewelry, rare comic books, and around $10,000 in cash, according to the accused victims.
The guy and lady recognized Smith from a collection of images even though there was no evidence connecting him to the alleged crime. In the end, he was found guilty of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and burglary with a firearm specification.
Smith would spend the following 20 years defending his innocence and seeking release. He got in touch with defense lawyer Joseph Landusky in 2020 and revealed the specifics of his contentious conviction.
“He was sentenced to 67 years in prison for a crime that was not even committed by anyone,” Landusky said. “When first responders showed up, there were no footprints in the snow. It had recently snowed. There was a dog barking right next door when they pulled up, the neighbors said no dog had barked in the last hour.”
Fairfield County Prosecutor Kyle Witt decided to withdraw all charges against Smith in 2021 rather than seek a new trial. Smith launched a wrongful incarceration lawsuit against the state more than a year after his release, leading to the $1.3 million settlement award.