Men arrested in scent lineups now suing

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Three men, who were arrested based on evidence given by dogs, are now suing the City of Houston and the Houston police department.

Curvis Bickam, Ronald Curtis, and Cedric Johnson were accused of crimes after being identified in a scent lineup. Fort Bend sheriff's deputy Keith Pikett said he had trained his dogs to match scents from crime scenes to suspects.

But according to the Innocence Project of Texas, Pikett was untrained and police knew it.

"When everything you do is one big mistake, it is beyond an accident," said Jeff Blackburn with Innocence Project of Texas.

The Innocence Project also claims police falsified evidence to support the results of scent lineups. Pikett and other officers who worked the cases were also named in the suit.

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