The strange case of Fred Daniels and his son, Garrett, became even more confusing this week when Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams dropped charges against the men. The Daniels men have been jailed since February on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and assault.

Fred Daniels had been released April 2 after posting a $650,000 cash bond. At a press conference announcing the the Daniels’ freedom, Adams was understandably agitated.

The case against the Daniels was never more than a suggestion built on the testimony of a third man, Andrew Garner, and Hartford’s police chief, Nick Finer, concerning an alleged plot to kill a Dale County judge, an attorney and an ex-wife to a member of the Daniels family, and the assault of a another man. As the prosecutor who leveled charges, Adams got the dubious honor of standing up publicly and announcing that there was no evidence to link the Daniels men to any sinister plot. But there is plenty of incompetence spread around in this matter.

Finer was informed of a possible conspiracy in Hartford, but failed to make the appropriate notifications before wiring up an informant and sending them on a goose chase. Hartford police did inform one of the alleged targets, attorney Buddy Williams, who later called Finer to testify to the conspiracy information in January. Adams learned of the matter from Finer’s testimony; the Daniels men were arrested and jailed later.

This sorry pursuit of justice unfolds like a schoolyard whisper game, but is infinitely more destructive. Because of sloppy investigation and overly enthusiastic prosecution, two men spent weeks in jail with no compelling evidence to support the state’s case. At the very least, the state of Alabama owes the Daniels family an apology.

We anticipate that they’ll get far more once the dust settles.