TIGARD, Oregon — An Oregon man who spent eight years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit received $12,000 in free dental treatment this week.
The Innocence Project matched 56-year-old Christopher Boots with Tigard dentist Dr. Elizabeth Sasse.
It’s been more than 20 years since he was freed but Boots said he’ll never forget the eight years he spent in the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. He was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a convenience store clerk in Springfield.
“It will always be with me. You get through it with the sports, other activities and friendships, but every day you tell yourself next week you’re going home,” Boots remembered.
According to his story shared on the National Registry of Exonerations, Boots was freed when an informant told police the identity of the real killer and fingerprint evidence provided the proof.
In 1998, he and his friend, who was also wrongfully convicted in the case, sued the city of Springfield and got $2 million.
“I ended up with $560,000 after lawyers took their part. There wasn’t enough money for the time we lost but it’s better than being in prison for life,” Boots said.
He’s had brushes with the law since his release. He failed to pay child and spousal support, and there have been convictions for methamphetamines and marijuana.
“I had to learn to say no. It’s hard to say but as you get older you get a little bit better about it,” Boots said.
At the Triangle Smiles office in Tigard, the free dental treatment was another step in transforming his life after all these years.
“I wanted my smile back, have some decent teeth and not feel embarrassed," Boots said.
“We ended up making him four crowns. I gave him a root canal, a couple of fillings,” said Dr. Sasse.
Boots said he’s especially grateful since he gets no help from the state of Oregon. Many other states do compensate those wrongfully convicted, with some paying $60,000 dollars a year.
“In Oregon you’re pretty much stuck with what you’ve got,” said Boots.
There will be more days in the dental chair for Boots. He needs partial dentures to fill in remaining gaps.
But he knows Dr. Sasse will be there doing her part to restore some of what was lost in prison.
“To give Chris the ability to smile and eat more comfortably will make the world smile back, which is what he deserves,” said Dr. Sasse.
