Justice delayed: Prisoner's exoneration on hold after Detroit police surprise announcement

FOX 2 - A chance at freedom was ripped away from a man who says he was wrongfully convicted 15 years ago.

Terance Calhoun pleaded no contest to kidnapping and sex crimes in 2007, but new evidence points to a different suspect. A judge was set to exonerate him today.

There were tears of shock and frustration from Calhoun's family outside the Woodland Center Correctional Facility in Whitmore Lake on Friday.

"Extremely disappointed for Mr. Calhoun, as you can see his family is absolutely devastated," said Mike Mittlestat, state appellate defender office, and Calhoun's attorney.

Calhoun has spent more than 15 years behind bars for crimes the Wayne County Prosecutor's Conviction Integrity Unit says he didn't commit.

Calhoun spoke to his attorney about his positive thoughts moments before the hearing that was supposed to set him free.

"I have a lot of patience they’re not taking a long time they’re just trying to do what they've got to do," said Newman.

But then the judge acknowledged an unprecedented conversation. She says a Detroit police officer came to her that morning with a binder full of what he described as evidence.

"Whether or not this information that the officer may or may not have, cannot be disregarded to ensure that we arrive at an accurate conclusion," the judge said.

The judge adjourned until next week leaving CIU Director Valerie Newman and Calhoun's attorney Mittlestat outraged at the police officer.

"This is highly inappropriate for the Detroit Police Department to go behind the prosecutor's back and go directly to the court," said Newman.

"I’ve never seen that happen before and all my years of practice," said Mike Mittlestat, state appellate defender office. "Miss Newman who is the head of the Conviction Integrity Unit, you heard her say she’s never seen anything like that happen before, either."

Back in 2007, Calhoun pleaded no contest to first-degree criminal sexual conduct — kidnapping and felony firearm.

At the time, investigators believed Calhoun sexually assaulted one teenager and attempted to sexually assault another teen in Detroit's Brightmore neighborhood. After years of investigating, the CIU and Middlestat both determined Calhoun was innocent.

"Our analysis of the DNA evidence excluded Mr. Calhoun there was a very suspicious ID and there was descriptions of the suspect that did not match Mr. Calthoun's description," said Mittlestat.

Now as Detroit police work to get to the bottom of what happened Newman will review the binder. Meanwhile Calhoun and his family will wait five more days for justice.

"At this moment he’s questioning what is going on the same thing he had been doing," said Larry Darnell Smith, Jr., National Organization of Exonorees. "Any form of hope that he had been released, it’s like the busting of a balloon."

The case has been adjourned until Wednesday.

Detroit police issued the following statement:

"The events that unfolded in court today in the People v. Terance Calhoun matter were outside of the Detroit Police Department policy and are not how the administration expects our investigators to act ... We have been in communication with the Prosecutor's Office and are working to rectify the situation."