Man jailed as sexual assault suspect freed after DNA error

A man jailed since early December as a suspect in a sexual assault case has been released after Denver police say his DNA was improperly identified by a lab technician.

Police say the man, whose name hasn’t been released, was arrested Dec. 5 as a suspect in an assault that happened the previous July. An investigation determined the man’s DNA was at the scene, but that DNA evidence did not implicate him in the assault.

The man was released Wednesday after prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss charges.

The police department released a statement saying a “thorough audit” will be conducted to determine what went wrong.

The Denver Post reports that in December, city councilors approved a payment totaling $337,250 to three people jailed after officers and sheriff’s deputies mistook them for others.