The Unlikely Friendship Between a Man and the Officer Who Wrongly Arrested Him
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Jameel McGee had just become a father when his life was derailed by a lie. In 2006, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, he was falsely arrested by narcotics officer Andrew Collins, whose fabricated reports and planted evidence led to a wrongful conviction and satisfied an internal push for arrest numbers. Although the truth eventually came out, Collins was sentenced to prison, and Jameel’s conviction was overturned, the damage had already been done. He had missed the early milestones of his son’s life and spent years behind bars for a crime he never committed.
Most people in his position would seek revenge. But when their paths crossed again, Jameel chose to respond in a way that surprised them both.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed human. |
| 0:14.1 | And we continue with our American stories. |
| 0:18.4 | It all went down in the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan in 2006. Andrew Collins was a |
| 0:24.2 | narcotics officer. Jamel McGee was a new father of a baby boy. This is a story about forgiveness, |
| 0:31.6 | brokenness, and true reconciliation from two guys who should have been hardened bitter enemies. Without any further ado, |
| 0:39.8 | let's hear how Andrew and Jamel's unlikely stories intersect, starting with Jamel. |
| 0:46.9 | February 8, 2006 was the day that forever changed my life. February 8, 2006, really just another day for me. |
| 0:58.8 | All I wanted to do was go to the store and get some milk for my son. |
| 1:03.1 | All I wanted on that day was another conviction. |
| 1:06.8 | So I caught a ride for some guys that I knew that probably would be up to no good. |
| 1:11.6 | I had caught a guy with some crack. |
| 1:13.6 | He knew a guy with some more crack, so he made a phone call. |
| 1:17.6 | So we get to the store and the guy asked me to use the phone. |
| 1:21.6 | At the time, I didn't think anything of it, so I gave him my phone. |
| 1:24.6 | So I get to the store and I see the vehicle, just like I was told. |
| 1:28.5 | One guy in the vehicle and another guy comes out of the store. I'm not sure if he has something to do with it, but I'm going to make sure he has something to do with it. So I'm coming out the store and this guy's approaching me talking about he's a cop. Where's it dope? I'm like, what dope. I don't have any dope. |
| 1:44.0 | I ain't got no dope. It ain't my dope. |
| 1:46.2 | How many times have I heard this before? That's what everybody says. So I had them lock them up. How could I be going to jail for some drugs that is in mind? How is this possible? |
| 1:57.5 | Trial? He's going to take it to trial the way that I wrote that report. He's going to take it to trial? |
| 2:02.6 | I would have wasted my time. |
| 2:04.6 | Well, I wasn't about to plead guilty to something that I know I didn't do. |
... |
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