Many consider the armed robbery case against Elton Phillips to be the final straw that forced the resignation of District Attorney Eddie Jordan.

At the time, Mayor Ray Nagin called it a “strange occurrence,” – an alleged robbery that just about took down the Orleans Parish District Attorney. Now, the bizarre case involving Phillips has an even more bizarre ending.

The Attorney General’s office announced he’s dropping the charges against Phillips because of inconsistencies in the witness’ statements.

"This whole case has been strange from the beginning,” Phillips’ attorney John Hall Thomas said. “I think the whole Eddie Jordan connection was a red herring."

Phillips was charged with the armed robbery of Roy Joseph at an Algiers gas station in 2007. The twist came when investigators alleged that after the crime, Phillips ran to Jordan’s house to get help from Jordan’s girlfriend.

The allegations, in part, put so much public pressure on Jordan that he eventually resigned. Making the story even stranger – Phillips accidentally was released from jail and recaptured in Hammond.

"He tried to stop at his aunt's house in Hammond to pick up a paper to show that when we was released from jail, the charges had all been dropped,” Thomas said. “When he stopped, neighbors saw him and he was arrested. He was on his way to turn him in for a second time."

At the time, attorneys alleged Phillips threatened a witness in the robbery case, the only man who implicated him even though he didn’t actually witness the alleged crime.

Now, what assistant Attorneys General call “severe and irreconcilable inconsistencies” in the stories of Roy Joseph and his girlfriend are causing them to drop the charges against Phillips.

"I think the attorney general absolutely did the right thing when they realized their witness was lying and they didn’t want to put him up there in front of a jury," Thomas said.

The AG’s office refused to an interview request about the pending dismissal, but said in a press release, “To go forward with this newly discovered information would not serve the ends of justice and present a danger of having perjured testimony presented at trial.”

It said the AG will move for a dismissal Monday, and Phillips’ attorney John Hall Thomas said his client should be released shortly thereafter.

"His mother's a nurse from California, and she wants to take him back there with here,” Thomas said. “I think he will be much better off."

The current DA’s office, Jordan’s girlfriend and everyone else involved in the case refused to comment.

Hall said the family was upset that, after Phillips was cleared of all wrongdoing in the murder of police officer Thelonius Dukes, they never got an apology from the NOPD.

He said he’s not expecting one in the case since Phillips “surrounded himself with some bad people.”