Man wrongly arrested for child's murder can't move forward

Pooja Lodhia Image
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Man trying to clear his name after being arrested for child's murder
Che Calhoun claims false arrest is still hurting family and job search.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- You might walk right past him. Or maybe there's something about his face that seems familiar. Maybe it's you remember the name: Che Calhoun.

"I Google my name and I see a Facebook picture of me feeding my kids," Calhoun said. "It said I'm a child killer."

Back in May, horror hit Houston when 11-year-old Josue Flores was stabbed to death while walking home from school on the Northside. After a frenzied manhunt, Calhoun was arrested and charged with murder. He was released days later when surveillance video supported his alibi.

Andre Jackson was arrested and charged in the murder, but all you have to do is google Calhoun to know he'll always been connected to the horrific story.

"My goal is just to take care of my family," Calhoun said.

Calhoun will be the first to tell you, he hasn't had a good life. Born already addicted to crack, he says he became a drug dealer in Detroit. Here in Harris County, he's been arrested several times and suffered from mental illness.

But in the months before the murder, Calhoun says his life was coming together. He started working construction.

"I had to go through getting denied, getting denied, until one door opened," Calhoun said. "It started getting good for me. I started being a tax-paying citizen. I started being a Houstonian."

Calhoun says he hasn't been able to get a job or a place to live since the arrest.

Houston Police have called the arrest unfortunate and say it was all part of the department's investigation.

Calhoun doesn't have the money to sue the city, and says he just wants to move on.

"I'm not going to be what you said I'm going to be," he said. "I'm not going to be a statistic."

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