Philadelphia woman released after Texas police mistake
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia woman is free Thursday morning after spending a week in a Philadelphia jail following a mistake by police in a Texas town.
Thirty-one-year-old Julie Hudson was released late last night.
Hudson was detained after facing a robbery charge that Texas police now admit she never committed.
She rushed into her family's arms outside her Mt. Airy home Thursday morning after being in police custody for seven long days.
"We embraced for at least a full minute," brother Tiron Hudson said.
An emotional reunion for Julie Hudson, 31, who was released early this morning after being in a Philly jail for a week for a robbery charge, which police now admit was a mistake @CBSPhiladelphia https://t.co/8JWYiZy9dv pic.twitter.com/rPHCRgzfNO
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) January 12, 2023
"I'm just excited that this happened and that my sister is home," sister Charon Hudson said.
Her sister said Hudson was recently applying for a job when she learned there was a warrant for her arrest.
Hudson went to the Philadelphia police 14th District in Germantown to clear her name but was arrested because of the warrant from Texas.
"I'm still in a state of shell shock," Charon Hudson said, "and it really hasn't."
This is a photo of the suspect police in Webster were looking for.
Hudson's family says that's not their sister. Earlier this week, they clamored for her release.
According to her brother, Hudson has never been to Texas.
"She wasn't expected to be arrested and detained and it's not normal right now," Tiron Hudson said.
"Julie is a loving person, she hasn't had any run-ins with the law," Charon Hudson said.
The Webster police chief told CBS Philadelphia that the robbery charge has been dropped and that he sent the release paperwork to Philadelphia police Tuesday. He said he initially realized the mistake Tuesday, about six days after her arrest.
The Harris County, Texas district attorney confirmed in a statement that "on Tuesday, Webster police notified the court of the error. We dismissed the case within five minutes."
Officials in Texas are now investigating what went wrong, but here at home, Hudson's family is demanding answers.
"Saying sorry is one thing," Charon Hudson said, "but I think actions need to be behind it."
When asked if they're considering legal action, Hudson's family says they're just focused on their sister's wellbeing.
City officials gave statements Thursday saying the ordeal should not have happened.
"Julie Hudson is a Philadelphia resident who has no criminal record and is pursuing a Ph.D. What happened to her should not have happened, and her family deserves a great deal of credit for successfully advocating for her freedom with the media in Houston and in Philadelphia," District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
"We are dismayed by the ordeal that she and her family went through due to an erroneous warrant from another jurisdiction, and thankful that she is now home," Mayor Jim Kenney said.
A spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney's office also released a statement about the case: "We accept charges based on the sworn evidence presented to us by law enforcement. Tuesday, Webster Police notified the court of the error. We dismissed the case within five minutes and immediately contacted Philadelphia Police to release our hold on Ms. Hudson."