FLINT TOWNSHIP, MI -- A man who claimed he was wrongfully arrested while legally open-carrying his pistol has been acquitted of a felony gun charge that stemmed from a Christmas Eve police stop in Flint Township.

John David McMorris was found not guilty Thursday, April 2, after a trial on a single charge of carrying a concealed weapon following his Dec. 24, 2013, arrest.

Jury selection in the trial began Wednesday, April 1, but the case never made it to deliberations because Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman issued a directed verdict after prosecutors were unable to meet their burden to obtain a conviction.

"He about broke my back hugging me," McMorris' attorney, Craig McAra, said about his client's teary reaction to the decision.

The judge can issue a directed verdict in a criminal case after he concludes no reasonable jury could reach a decision to convict. Hayman reached his decision before McAra began his defense of the case.

McMorris claims that he immediately turned to face the cruiser and raised his hands into the air to ensure that the officer could see the firearm.

The police department, in a response to the allegations filed by Morris, claims that the gun was illegally concealed under his coat prior to McMorris raising his arms.

A police dashcam recorded the stop and arrest. McMorris can be seen stopping when the police car lights activated and putting his hands over his head. The gun is visible on his right hip.

G. Gus Morris, the township's attorney, has defended the stop, saying the officer passed McMorris about 15 minutes prior to the meeting on his way to another call. Morris said the officer flashed his bright lights at McMorris and could clearly see his right side but did not observe any gun.

The video shows the officer telling McMorris that when he passed him previously he could not see the gun and it must have been covered by his coat. The township claims the officer stopped to check on the man and observed the gun when McMorris raised his hands.

The officer concluded that McMorris had concealed the gun under his coat since he did not see it when he initially passed.

However, McAra argued the allegation was "pure speculation," and that prosecutors were unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the gun was ever concealed.

"There were a number of possibilities that were equally plausible," McAra said.

McMorris filed a federal lawsuit against the department in March 2014 claiming that he was legally carrying his gun.

But the lawsuit was put on hold months later when Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton issued criminal charges July 28, 2014, against McMorris -- nearly seven months after the stop.

Special Assistant Genesee County Prosecutor John Potbury said previously that his office was contacted by Flint Township police regarding possible charges after the arrest, but prosecutors informed officers that they needed more information, such as written reports and video, in order to bring criminal charges.

Potbury said charges were authorized within a few weeks of Flint Township police bringing the case back to them in early July.

The charge carried a punishment of up to five years in prison if convicted. A conviction, even one obtained through a plea agreement, would have brought an official end to McMorris' civil case.

But, now that the criminal case has concluded, McAra said he and his client can again move forward with the civil case. He added that the outcome of the criminal case could be of assistance as they progress with the lawsuit.

"I think it does provide some excellent evidence," McAra said.