Taste of freedom a long time coming

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The smile of a free man.

The dreams of freedom that helped a St. Petersburg man endure the nightmares of prison are a reality.

Allen Crotzer, 45, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1982 for participating in two robberies and raping a mother and her 12-year-old daughter in the trunk of a car in 1981.

However, in 2002, Crotzer wrote to a group known as the New York Innocence Project. The group found out about conflicting witness testimony in his case, then discovered five pieces of DNA evidence at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in Tampa. That evidence was supposed to be destroyed years ago, but luckily for Crotzer, it wasn't.

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The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office called for Crotzer's immediate release, saying "significant doubt exists as to Mr. Crotzer's guilt." Judge J. Rogers Padgett agreed and threw out the sentence on Monday, setting him free.

"It's a long time coming, and I thank God for this day," said Crotzer.

Crotzer spent the next few hours relishing small comforts. First, he wanted a bath.

"I haven't had a bath in 24 years, six months, and 13 days," said Crotzer.

Next up was his favorite food -- pork chops.

And throughout the afternoon at a party in St. Petersburg, he received hugs from the friends and family he sometimes feared forgot him.

No more prison food for Crotzer.

Crotzer isn't worried about vengeance or restitution; instead he's focusing on a simple, boring, beautiful life.

Crotzer was the fifth man released from a Florida prison for a crime he didn't commit.

The two other men convicted of the crimes Crotzer was accused of are still in prison. According to Florida Department of Corrections records, Corlenzo James is expected to be released later this year and Douglas James in 2028.

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