Associated Press
ARLINGTON, Va. — A man whose claim about a stolen iPad left a deaf man jailed for six weeks has now recanted his accusation.
Abreham Zemedagegehu, who is homeless, spent six weeks at the Arlington jail last year on charges that he stole the iPad.
Last week, though, the man who accused Zemadegegehu formally recanted that accusation. Robert J. Mason, who is also deaf and homeless, admitted he was mistaken as part of a legal settlement.
Zemedagegehu also has filed a lawsuit against the Arlington County sheriff, alleging that the jail failed to provide a sign-language interpreter so that he could understand what was happening to him during his incarceration. Zemedagegehu, a native of Ethiopia, can’t communicate effectively in written English.