AFTER 35 years in prison for stealing a USD 140 television set, Junior Allen is finally a free man.
Allen walked out of prison Friday on his way to live with relatives in Georgia, ending a well-publicized case that saw the 65-year-old sit in jail while people convicted of murder, rape or child molestation were released.
“I’m glad to be out,” Allen told supporters outside Orange Correctional Centre. “I’ve done too much time for what I did. I won’t be truly happy until I see a sign that says I’m outside of North Carolina.”
Allen was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree burglary in 1970 for sneaking into an unlocked house and stealing a black-and-white television.
At the time of his arrest, he was a 30-year-old migrant farm worker from Georgia with a criminal history that included a string of burglaries and a violent assault.