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Former Detroit Police Commander James Tolbert will not face perjury charges in Davontae sanford case

Posted at 5:45 PM, Jul 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-12 17:45:56-04

Former Detroit Police Commander James Tolbert is in the clear.

He will not face perjury charges in connection with a murder case in which a young man who had been convicted -- and was recently released from prison.

This case centers on Davontae Sanford, who served almost 9 years in prison, in part, based on the actions of Tolbert.

The news came in a news release from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

She said in a statement:

The bottom line is that there is an important legal distinction between acting on evidence that undermines a conviction, and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that someone has committed perjury,

Tolbert had testified then 14-year-old Davontae Sanford drew a sketch of a crime scene in which 4 people were killed in a drug house and that Sanford drew it on a blank piece of paper.

But then Tolbert changed his story talking with state police last fall.

Worthy had until tomorrow to charge or the statute of limitations would have run out.

Tolbert spent 30 years in law enforcement here and became police chief up in flint until the new mayor came into office this year.

If charged and convicted, Tolbert could have faced 15 years in prison.