Dallas Co. Man Exonerated After 18 Years In Prison

(CBS 11 News) DALLAS A Dallas County man walked out of court a free man Monday morning.

Greg Wallis was released after spending the last 18 years in prison… for a crime he didn't commit.

Wallis wasted no time starting his life as a free man, after being told by a judge, “You shouldn't be incarcerated not a moment longer."

A reporter asked Wallis what he was going to do now and he responded, “I'm gonna sit down and find me a job somehow.”

Another thing Wallis said he really wants to do is go fishing.

The 47-year-old spent the last 18 years locked up, convicted of burglary and sexual assault.

After being sentenced to 50 years in prison, it turns out officials had the wrong guy.

“I ain't mad at him. He did his job. That’s all I can say. Just be more careful man,” Wallis said.

Two years ago Wallis requested a post conviction DNA test. That test eventually cleared his name, with the help of evidence collected in 1988.

"We didn't even have standard DNA testing until 1992, from the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, so we really, it was so primitive back then. Yes, now we can come in and we can correct some mistakes that were made in some of the older cases," said Michelle Morris, defense attorney.

During the hearing Dallas County Judge John Creuzot offered Wallis kind words saying, “On behalf of everybody in this county and all of us, I want to apologize to you for what you've gone through."

Wallis says he accepts the judge's apology and just wants to move on.

He is eligible for up to $250,000 from the state.

Wallis says he just wants to breathe fresh air, get his drivers license, and maybe even get a cell phone.

While he says he doesn’t know anything about technology, he did know enough to use it to get out of prison.

Now that same technology may be able to help find the real attacker. Prosecutors in the case can run the evidence thru their DNA database to see if they can find a match.