Wrongly jailed man adjusts to freedom

COLUMBUS (AP) — Robert McClendon hovered over a bathroom sink in a department store for about two minutes, unable to find the knobs.

He waited until the next man came in and placed his hands beneath the faucet, then watched as the water magically sprayed.

Much has changed in the 18 years since McClendon was locked in prison for a rape that DNA testing now shows he didn’t commit. The world he once knew was far from the one he returned to in August, right down to public restrooms.

“So much has changed. I have been trying to fit in,” said the 53-year-old McClendon. “I’ve found that, sometimes, I just need a little help, even in the bathroom.”

McClendon, a father of five and grandfather of six, was convicted Aug. 28, 1991, of abducting a female relative from the backyard of her Columbus home, blindfolding her and raping her in a vacant house.

The Columbus man’s case was one of 30 prime candidates for DNA testing highlighted in “Test of Convictions,” a Columbus Dispatch series published in January about the missed opportunities of prisoner-DNA testing in Ohio. The newspaper reviewed cases with the Ohio Innocence Project. DNA Diagnostics Center, a Cincinnati-area lab, agreed to provide free testing.

Judges have approved testing in more than half of those cases, and McClendon, who was first to be tested, went free in August.

McClendon, who uttered the words “hello, truth” upon learning his DNA test results, has tried during the past four months to forget that a third of his life was stripped from him. That he was wrongly locked up when his grandparents and both parents died. That he couldn’t be there to celebrate his grandchildren’s birthdays.

He has taken uncounted midnight walks to see the stars, gone for dozens of aimless drives on the open road just to feel a breeze, and bought 11 suits to erase the feel of the “prison blues” he wore as inmate No. 250-407.

McClendon is expected to receive between $1 million and $2 million from the state for being wrongfully imprisoned, but the money hasn’t yet come. He has relied on family and friends to help him start over, including applying for a new Social Security card and driver’s license. He has lived part of the time with his son Kevin, who gave his only bed to his dad.

One special friend affiliated with McClendon’s church lent him enough money for a 2001 Mercedes, clothes and furniture, and Christmas presents for the family and friends who gave him hope in prison.

He also has spent much time crusading on behalf of inmates he believes are innocent, which has landed him at parties with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and making speeches before state lawmakers.

“It’s been a blur,” McClendon said. “God has given me my life back, and I don’t plan on wasting it.”

McClendon sleeps a few feet from the small white box that holds his mother’s ashes.

Laura McClendon died at age 67, about 18 months before her son was freed from prison. She battled lung cancer for several years, hiding that fight from her son for most of that time. During their last visit, she continued giving him her strength, the only gift she knew how to give.

“You keep fighting, son,” she told him. “You keep fighting for the truth.”

When McClendon learned of his mother’s death, he discovered that she had left him in charge of planning her funeral and taking care of her few assets.

He made those arrangements from prison.

His mother’s family in Florida wanted her buried there, but McClendon wanted her to rest in her hometown of Columbus. In the end, there was no money for a burial, so McClendon had her cremated.

McClendon admits that his mother wasn’t ready to be a mom for most of his childhood. She often disappeared for weeks, leaving Robert and his brothers behind with a few bucks and some food stamps.

“She did the best she could, and I loved her,” he said. “The best thing my mom did for me was teach me how to survive. Without that, I never would have made it out.”

Since his release, McClendon has been planning a memorial for his mother. He wants to hold it in a church, invite her family and friends, and give her the proper goodbye he couldn’t give her before.