A former library employee involved in a bizarre e-mail mix-up will be awarded $25,000 after he was wrongfully imprisoned for allegedly threatening his boss.

William Hallowell worked in the library of a private school in New York City. He was having a work-related e-mail exchange with his supervisor when something went awry:

The manager mistakenly sent one of the messages to a wrong address that was similar to Hallowell’s.

The owner of that address sent back a long response that included racist remarks, sexual language, a mention about using prostitutes and a statement about buying a gun. Assuming the e-mail was from Hallowell, the library director called police and had him detained.

He spent more than 30 hours behind bars while trying to prove the e-mail didn’t come from him. After being released, it took him three months to have all the charges dropped.

Hallowell sued the city’s police department and was recently awarded a $25,000 in a settlement. No legal action has been taken against his employer.

Tags: e-mail, harassment, library, threats