Man surprises mom with his release from prison

STARK COUNTY -- Chris Bennett gave his mom the best gift of all - his freedom.

"It feels good," Chris says. "Today is Mother's Day. It's a good Mother's Day gift."

His mom, Paula, says, "I thought he was getting out Tuesday, and then we got a call he'd be out today. So I'm like that's a great gift, the best gift I could have got."

About five years ago, Chris and his friend were in this white van when it drove off the road and crashed, at 45 mph, into a garage.

Chris' friend died at the scene.

Chris was thought to be the driver and was charged with the death, even though medical records show Chris had amnesia.

Chris says he doesn?t remember the accident until months into his sentence.

"I remember bracing myself and hitting the windshield on the passenger side, that's pretty much it. The rest I don't remember, just waking up in the intensive care unit."

But he had already plead guilty and was sentenced by a judge.

"I knew I was innocent, just nobody believed me," Chris says. "And nobody really cared. I had a hard time."

That's when the Ohio Innocence Project started gathering all this evidence, and filing motions to prove Chris was actually the passenger.

DNA evidence showed that blood on the passenger side windshield, and hair stuck in the passenger side dash board belong to Chris.

He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge so he could be released immediately.

It just happened to fall on Mother's Day, giving him mom the sense of relief she waited so many years to have.

Paula says, "I have a good sense, all the weight off my shoulders and not have to worry about him no more."

The Ohio Court of Appeals reversed Chris' conviction.

He could have opted for a trial, but that would have meant waiting many more months, and taking a chance with a jury's decision.

That's why he chose to plead to guilty to a lesser charge.

He served almost four of his nine year sentence.