NY man cleared in old murder accused of sex abuse

GREECE, N.Y. – A former truck driver who spent nearly 19 years behind bars for a 1988 slaying he didn't commit has appeared in an upstate New York court on charges of sexually abusing a boy months after his release from prison.

Arrested last week, Frank Sterling was released on $5,000 bail. A judge on Thursday set a Sept. 22 date to argue motions.

Sterling was freed in April 2010 after DNA testing exonerated him and instead pointed to a man who strangled a 4-year-old girl in 1994.

Police in the Rochester suburb of Greece said Monday that sexual contact over the boy's clothes took place in Sterling's vehicle and in a boat they took on fishing trips in June and July last year.

Defense lawyer Donald Thompson says Sterling denies the allegations.