61-year-old says he was wrongfully arrested due to facial recognition technology, then sexually assaulted in jail

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A 61-year-old grandfather is now suing Sunglasses Hut and Macy’s after he says he was wrongfully arrested and jailed in Harris County due to faulty facial recognition technology.

Texas native Harvey Murphy Jr. was living in California when he says facial recognition technology identified him as a suspected robber, accused of taking items from Sunglass Hut and Macy’s.

Murphy was arrested in Harris County when he came back to renew his driver’s license.

While Murphy was in jail, he said that three men sexually assaulted him.

Attorney Daniel Dutko of Rusty Hardin & Associates released a statement on the matter.

“Mr. Murphy’s lawsuit does not allege, nor do we believe, that the Houston Police Department did anything wrong. We believe the true bad actors are Sunglass Hut and Macy’s and it was their action in misleading the police that led to Mr. Murphy’s arrest and incarceration,”

KRPC 2 has reached out to Sunglass Hut’s parent company but have not received a response.


About the Authors

Moriah Ballard joined the KPRC 2 digital team in the fall of 2021. Prior to becoming a digital content producer in Southeast Texas and a Houstonian, Moriah was an award-winning radio host in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, and previously worked as a producer/content creator in Cleveland. Her faith, family, and community are her top passions.

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