Charges were dismissed on Thursday afternoon against an eight-year employee of the Hamilton County Community Corrections program after he spent a week in jail and endured a round of bad publicity.
General Sessions Court Judge David Bales called the case involving Jeffrey R. Elder "a big mistake."
Mr. Elder had been charged with credit card fraud out of Texas, and it turned out the case involved a cellphone belonging to his daughter that is in his name.
The daughter, who lives with Mr. Elder's ex-wife, agreed to let a friend pay off a month of her cellphone bill using a credit card number of a Texas resident, officials said.
The friend, Amanda Burney, will have to return with fugitive detectives to Texas to face the charges.
Charges were also dismissed against her sister, Tameka Burney.
Amanda Burney acknowledged in court on Wednesday that she got the credit card number while she was working at the local Convergys call center. She was fired by Convergys in January.
Mr. Elder said he was at his home last Thursday when an officer knocked on the door and asked his name and told him he was being arrested. Mr. Elder said, "I asked him what for?" He was told he was being charged with credit card fraud out of Texas.
Mr. Elder said, "I hadn't been to Texas since I was in the Army from 1978-1980." He said he had never been to Enfield, Tex., where the fraud case is filed.
Mr. Elder said, who has a clean record, said, "This was a wakeup call for me on how your life can change overnight."
He said the case "messed me up" in the eyes of neighbors and other associates. He said, "I want to clear my name."
Mr. Elder said his supervisor, Tommy Wright, "has really been behind me. He believed in me."
He has been on administrative leave and will return to his third-shift job soon.
His attorney, Stan Lanzo said, "When the charge was brought, the media was all over this. Now I only see one outlet here."
Texas sent two fugitive officers here on the case, and they arrived around noon Thursday.
Prosecutor Rodney Strong said the two male officers would be escorting Ms. Burney back, but would stop for the night in Memphis and let her stay at a facility there. He said there are video cameras in the patrol car and she would have constant contact with her parents by cellphone. Her parents were in court with her.
The case involves about $500 in cellphone calls, officials said.
Mr. Elder said he has not talked with his daughter since the charges were brought. He said, "I think she knows I'm mad at her."
Attorney Lanzo said the only reason the case was solved was because the perpetrator came forward to help get her sister off.
He said, "Otherwise, Jeffery Elder would be on his way now out to Texas, with no bond, on a charge he knew nothing about."
Jeffrey Elder was innocent man who had mug shot taken and spent a week in jail