Ohio man released after DNA test faces new charge

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio man who was cleared of a rape conviction by DNA evidence and released after serving 25 years has been arrested on an attempted rape charge.

The Columbus Dispatch reports a judge in Columbus set bond today at $75,000 for 63-year-old Joseph Fears. His attorney Isabella Dixon says he denies the new accusation.

Fears was arrested Sunday. He had been freed from prison in 2009 after a DNA test proved he was innocent of a 1983 rape. Fears was serving time for two rapes, but there was no DNA evidence available for testing in the second case. That conviction stood, and a prosecutor had recommended he be freed based on time served

He reached a financial settlement with the state for about $200,000.