Wrongfully Convicted Wyoming Man Pursues Federal Appeal

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming man who spent nearly 24 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit is trying again to win financial compensation from the government.

Sixty-seven-year-old Andrew Johnson was exonerated and freed in 2013 based on DNA testing.

His lawyer, Robert Schuster, said Friday that he is asking the Denver federal appeals court to re-consider the dismissal of Johnson's lawsuit seeking compensation from the city of Cheyenne.

Johnson claims police withheld information that led to his conviction.

In July a federal judge dismissed the suit on procedural grounds, including that he had made the same claim in previous legal actions. However, Schuster says they were filed when Johnson was a prisoner without the benefit of an exoneration or a lawyer.

Wyoming doesn't pay restitution to people incarcerated for wrongful convictions.