Charges were dropped recently against a Madison man accused of entering a locked vehicle early March 6, the day of his arrest.

Nicholas Gritt, 19, was accused of entering a local disk jockey’s truck in the Buckeye Lot on Gorham Street, stealing a laser light, valued at about $1,200, and the faceplate of the truck’s stereo.

The night of his arrest, Gritt was walking his girlfriend from Gilman Street to her apartment on University Avenue, according to Gritt.

On his way home, he ran into a man who needed directions, Gritt said. He walked with the man past the Embassy Suites and, after cutting through the parking lot across the street, he was cornered by two policemen and told to get on the ground.

Later, security cameras at the Embassy showed Gritt walking with another man, confirming his alibi, Gritt said.&/p>

Gritt said he was then taken to the Buckeye Lot, the scene of the crime, and after the police spoke to the victim, Gritt was told he matched the description of the perpetrator and was taken to the Dane County Jail.

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I got to go to jail for it,” Gritt said.

Since Gritt was sporting a dark baseball cap, a dark hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, he matched the description of the perpetrator.

Joel DeSpain, spokesperson for the Madison Police Department, said when officers are out on the field, they need probable cause to arrest a person. However, in a standard court of law, people are only guilty when they are proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Charges are pressed on a suspect once the district attorney or assistant district attorney reads the police report and believes there is just evidence to press charges, DeSpain said.

“There are sometimes people who get arrested who are innocent people,” he added.

According to Deputy District Attorney Tim Verhoff, there was no case against Gritt. However, he could not detail the specifics of the case due to what he called “ethical issues.”