Wrongly convicted Clark County men get $10M settlement
Oct 1, 2013, 6:44 AM | Updated: 9:39 am
Imagine spending 17 years in prison for a violent crime you didn’t commit and then coming out to a completely different world.
It happened to two men in Clark County and they’re now being awarded more than $10 million because of it.
In 1993, a housekeeper in La Center was violently raped. Larry Davis and Alan Northrop were arrested after the victim identified them in a lineup. It would take 17 years for attorneys to convince a judge the lineup and the entire investigation had been tainted.
Looking back, Alan Northrop says at the time he didn’t take his arrest seriously. Not until he was sitting in the courtroom and the housekeeper took the stand.
“They can point their finger at me in a courtroom, that was devastating. I didn’t believe it,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe it went that far.”
He and Davis were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Not only is it time he’ll never get back, but there are relationships that will never be the same. Northrop told KIRO Radio’s Andrew Walsh Show earlier this year what it was like when his family was ripped away from him.
“My kids were very young. My oldest was only 4 years old. She couldn’t understand why her dad was being taken away. I had a 2-year-old, a 1-and-a-half-year-old, and of course they’re not going to understand,” he said. “Not watching my kids grow up – that’s been the most devastating. And getting to know them – they’re all grown up now and I have a 4-year-old granddaughter.”
With the help of the innocence project and some new DNA tests, the rape conviction has been set aside. Northrop and Davis are being compensated for their lost time. The county has agreed to a $10.5 million settlement, money that’s not covered by insurance.
The men also plan on suing the insurance carrier for an additional $24 million.
Northrop can definitely use some money. Since being released, he’s faced with a bill for $100,000 in missing child support.
