( CNN ) -- A man can do a lot of things in 13 years . Cornealious `` Mike '' Anderson was able to open several construction businesses , start a family , coach his son 's football team and volunteer at his church . What he was n't doing most of that time was serving jail time . Convicted of taking part in a robbery at a Burger King in St. Charles , Missouri , in 1999 , Anderson was given a 13-year sentence . When his appeals ran out in 2002 , he was supposed to report to prison , but the call never came . Corrections officials did n't discover the clerical error until July , when his original sentence would have ended , and they sent U.S. marshals to arrest him . On Monday , Anderson walked out of the Mississippi County Courthouse a free man , given credit for the 4,794 days between his conviction and when he was arrested last year . `` I walked by faith this whole time , my family and I , '' Anderson told CNN 's `` New Day '' on Tuesday . Judge Terry Brown said he did n't see any point in keeping Anderson , 36 , in prison . `` I believe continuing to incarcerate you serves no purpose , would be a waste of taxpayer dollars and punish a good man , '' Brown said at a 10-minute court session . The tears flowed when the judge granted Anderson 's release . Hugs came from his wife and daughter , his mom and his attorney , video from affiliate KMOV showed . `` I was young , and that 's something I do n't even like to talk about , '' he said . `` That 's not who I was . It was just something that should have never happened . '' No arrest warrant for him . At the time of the crime , he was 22 years old , and he said he could not fathom spending the next 13 years in prison . At the time , his attorney warned him that authorities had not arrested him because they thought he was already in jail . The U.S . Marshals Service told the attorney that they could n't arrest Anderson because there was no arrest warrant for him . But the mistake will be found , the lawyer said , telling Anderson to be ready to be picked up at any moment . But the years went by , and that day did n't come for 13 years . `` You know , them pulling me back was motivation , but my main motivation was ( that ) I turned my life around , '' Anderson said . `` I gave my life to the Lord , and I did n't want to do anything that displeased God . '' Attorney General Chris Koster said setting him free was the right thing to do . `` From the outset , I have proposed a solution that balances the seriousness of Mr. Anderson 's crime with the mistake made by the criminal justice system and Mr. Anderson 's lack of a criminal record over the past 13 years , '' he said . Monday 's outcome `` appears to appropriately balance the facts as we understand them . '' Anderson 's plight attracted international attention . A Change.org petition lobbied for his release in recent months and attracted more than 35,000 signatures . For his wife , LaQonna Anderson , it means her husband is back home and their family complete for the first time since July . `` I 'm very , very , very happy , '' she said . `` I thank everybody for all their support . '' CNN 's Jennifer Feldman and Carma Hassan contributed to this report .
Cornealious `` Mike '' Anderson was convicted of robbery in 1999 . When his appeals ran out , corrections officials never incarcerated him . The mistake was discovered when the sentence was almost over . A judge gave Anderson credit for the 4,794 days between his conviction and arrest .