Family celebrates release of Chicago man freed from prison

ROBINSON, Ill. (AP) - Family members of a man released from prison after a decade-old drug charge was dismissed by prosecutors are celebrating.

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office said Thursday that charges against 43-year-old Ben Baker of Chicago were dismissed because the primary witness in the case, former Chicago police Sergeant Ronald Watts, was convicted in 2013 of extorting protection payoffs from drug dealers.

Baker walked out of Robinson Correctional Center in southeastern Illinois late Thursday. He told The Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/202Fxsj) he thought the guards were joking when they told him he could leave.

His sister Gale Anderson called it the "greatest day ever." She says having Baker back with family "means everything."

Baker was convicted in 2005 on charges of possession of narcotics with intent to deliver.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com