DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA — A man who spent 16 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit is now a free man.

Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine said Brandon Pugh could not have committed the 2008 bank robbery for which he was convicted.

Authorities arrested and convicted Pugh in connection with the robbery.

“We are here for one simple reason. Brandon Pugh is an innocent man,” Racine said.

Records show Pugh was in East Point at the time reporting his car stolen.

Officials say the new findings led to his release after 16 years in prison.