Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Falsely accused of sexual assault as a teen, Michael Arena is free but not exonerated.

By Chase Hoffberger, Fri., Oct. 9, 2015

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2015-10-09/guilty-until-proven-innocent/

“I’m trying to be pro-social,” says Michael Arena, the Bell County native who spent 12 years in prison for a crime that never happened. “A productive member of society.”

Arena explains himself one morning at a coffee shop in Georgetown, where we sit at a corner table with his girlfriend, Sharon Larson. He’s big – muscly, cut, tanned, with soft and weary eyes. He wears blue jeans, a black hat, brown boots, and a white tank top. On his arms and upper body are an array of blue tattoos. 

(Click on the link for the rest of the story).

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2015-10-09/guilty-until-proven-innocent/