This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Daniel Rideau spent eight and a half years at Angola prison for a crime he was later found not guilty of. According to Daniel, the years after prison were tough to transition from.

Today Daniel is working as a Barber in Treme after six years free from trouble.

But it all wouldn’t have been possible if he didn’t meet a man that changed his life. John Thompson helped Daniel and his business partner Jerome Morgan, who was also once incarcerated, get back on their feet.

“I was blessed to have met John Thompson. He ended up being compensated for being wrongfully convicted, and he started and founded Resurrection After Exoneration,” said Daniel.

The foundation helps people that were released from prison to get back on their feet.

When it comes to testimony, he doesn’t mind sharing it with anyone who was once in his shoes.

“My new mission in life it to let my story be known, so that young kids don’t have to go what I been through. To let them know that I’m here for them if they need me,” said Daniel.

Jerome Morgan and Daniel Rideau pitch their idea for RAE Grooming Barbership, a barbering and grooming apprenticeship program that keeps youth out of the juvenile justice system. They tied for first place at a recent PitchNOLA competition. Photo by Robert Warren)
Jerome Morgan and Daniel Rideau pitch their idea for RAE Grooming Barbership, a barbering and grooming apprenticeship program that keeps youth out of the juvenile justice system. They tied for first place at a recent PitchNOLA competition. Photo by Robert Warren)