A Georgia man who spent more than two decades in prison for a murder he didn’t commit has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Floyd County and several law enforcement officials, alleging they fabricated evidence and concealed crucial information that could have proven his innocence.

Joseph “Joey” Watkins filed the complaint in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on May 30, seeking monetary damages under federal civil rights law. The lawsuit names Floyd County, along with six current and former law enforcement officers from the Floyd County Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Watkins was convicted in 2001 for the shooting death of 20-year-old Isaac Dawkins, who was killed while driving on Highway 27 in Rome in January 2000. Dawkins died fro

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