Philadelphia woman jailed due to mistaken identity by Webster, Texas police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia woman studying to get her Ph.D. with no run-ins with the law is behind bars for a seventh night Wednesday night after a mistake from Texas police. Her family is demanding answers.
A Philadelphia jail on State Road near the city's Holmesburg section is where Julie Hudson has been detained after facing a robbery charge Texas police now admit she never committed.
"This is a tragic thing that happened to her and our family with this situation," sister Charon Hudson said.
Charon Hudson told CBS Philadelphia her 31-year-old sister was recently applying for a job when she learned of an arrest warrant out for her. So Hudson went to the Philadelphia Police 14th district in Germantown to clear her name.
"My sister went there like 'hey what's going on, we need to fix the situation. What do we need me to do? What do you need me to give you?'" Charon Hudson said. "And at that point, Philadelphia was like, 'we have to arrest you because Texas has warrants out for you.' And the nightmare began. She has never been in the state of Texas. Julie hasn't caught a plane in years."
This is a photo of the suspect police in Webster, Texas had been looking for.
Hudson's family says that's not their sister.
"Julie is a loving person, she haven'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 the Philadelphia Police Department on Tuesday.
"You're presumed innocent until you are proven guilty," brother Tiron Hudson said. "In this case, I'm learning is pretty much you're guilty until you prove yourself innocent."
Hudson's family is hopeful she'll be released some time on Thursday.
