Mower County Sheriff responds after couple says they were detained for hours

(ABC 6 News) – While police looked for the man accused of robbing an Austin gas station, a couple who had nothing to do with the case said theywere detained for hours in a Lyle neighborhood, and the Mower County Sheriff has issued a response.

Lindsey Williamson, a white woman, and Deandre Bradley, a black man, were at home in Austin when they heard police were headed to Lyle. Williamson wanted to check in on her grandparents in Lyle so they started to head that way. Their plans came to a stop because witnesses say Bradley had similar clothing to what the suspect, Adrick Mims was wearing.

"Honestly, this is something that I never thought would happen to me, you know?" said Bradley. "I’m a citizen. I’m a taxpayer. What did I do so wrong to make somebody accuse me of something so vicious?"

Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik said they were stopped because of the similar clothing and because they drove into a blocked off area. An area marked clearly with squad cars, and police lights.

"We’re talking about an armed robbery and looking for a subject committing violent crime," said Sheriff Sandvik. "It is not that we randomly stopped someone. They presented themselves in the middle of our situation. I do know the street they were driving on was a dead end. It was not occupied by any relatives of either of them."

The Sheriff added they were both offered a cool place to sit and were allowed to be on their phones while police waited for confirmation on if Bradley and Mims were the same man.