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After reviewing evidence, Portsmouth man may be cleared of crime

Last month, a young Portsmouth man had learned that police put out his mugshot reporting that the man was wanted for selling drugs near a school. However, the 21-year-old man claims that he is innocent and he is extremely embarrassed for being accused of committing a crime he was not involved in.

A surveillance video of an alleged drug deal was taken by police, and police put out a mugshot of the man claiming that he was a suspect in the drug deal. But now the man is questioning how police could have put out his mugshot after viewing the surveillance video of the drug deal. The video was recently viewed by the man, police and the Commonwealth’s Deputy Attorney. All of the parties agree that the suspect in the surveillance video does not look like the man who has been accused of selling drugs.

Although the surveillance video shows a suspect who does not look like the Portsmouth man, the man may still face drug charges.

After the man learned that he had been accused of committing serious drug crimes, he consulted an attorney before turning himself in to police. This was a very wise move on the man’s part because even though he claims he did not commit a crime, he still needs someone on his side to protect his rights. Drug charges are serious offenses that may result in harsh legal and social consequences in Virginia. Without proper guidance from the very beginning, an individual may risk damaging his or her future and reputation.

After watching the surveillance video and coming to the conclusion that the man was not involved in the drug deal based on evidence from the video, it was decided that the drug charges will be set aside for now. Charges against the man have not been dropped yet because police claim that there is other evidence that may link the defendant to the crime. If further investigations confirm that the man is not the suspect in the video, the drug charges will be dropped.

The incident has caused the Portsmouth Police Department to conduct an internal investigation. The man says that being wrongfully jailed and accused of serious crimes has been embarrassing, and the incident has also taken an emotional toll on him.

Source: WAVY.com, “Man says he was wrongfully jailed,” Andy Fox, April 10, 2013

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