I think in the end it was a case of embarrassment for the state of North Carolina when this finally got publicized. Allen just fell through the cracks. He just got lost and nobody paid attention. When Allen's case started to get media attention, the people involved began covering their tracks. The state realized that for 25 to 30 years they were paying between 25,000 and 30,000 a year to keep a 65-year-old man in prison for stealing a TV.