PHILADELPHIA – A nightmarish week for a Philadelphia woman has come to an end.
She’s back home after being thrown behind bars in the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center for a robbery police in Webster, Texas said she committed, even though as it turns out she had never even been to the lone star state.
After the ordeal she went through, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which accepted the charges, is promising to help get her record quickly expunged.
After her release Thursday, KPRC 2 reporter Deven Clarke got the chance to speak to her about this ordeal for the first time.
“What you guys did definitely kept me encouraged,” said Julie Hudson during a phone interview.
Right now, Julie Hudson is back on track to receiving her Ph.D., but for an entire week, there were times she said she wasn’t sure she’d ever see the outside of the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center again.
“There definitely were times when I did lose faith, and I just kind of broke down. My anxiety took over I had a couple of panic attacks while I was there,” Hudson told KPRC 2:
Hudson was jailed after Webster police thought her social media images matched a robbery suspect and had a warrant issued for her arrest.
Her message for them was, “Be careful and knowledgeable and use your skill. Don’t just assume things, don’t just ruin somebody’s life,” Hudson said.
Meanwhile, KPRC 2 Legal Analyst Brian Wice says there could be legal ramifications for the Webster Police Department’s mistake.
“She could file a civil rights lawsuit, what we call a 1983 lawsuit, for deprivation of a federally secured civil right,” Wice said.
Hudson’s family wouldn’t go into detail about any legal action they plan to take, but they did say they plan to advocate for ways to make sure this never happens again.
For now, Hudson, who has never been in trouble with the law, is enjoying getting back to her reality and wanted to share a message with KPRC 2.
“Thank you for everything that you’ve done. There were times that I know my brother and sister felt hopeless and powerless and I appreciate you giving me a voice when nobody was able to hear it,” Hudson said.
As for what’s next for Hudson, she said after missing her first day of the second semester of her Ph.D. program, she’s looking forward to healing from this ordeal and getting back to her studies.