Cops drive 4000+ miles to arrest wrong man
A Kentucky sheriff and deputy drove all the way to California to nab a man who had jumped bail after being charged with a misdemeanor of DWI and a minor felony of attempting to evade police. After returning from their 4100 roundtrip that included some sight-seeing and souvenir shopping, mugshot and fingerprint comparisons proved that they had picked up the wrong guy. Apparently, the man, Joel Oros III, had told them all along that he wasn't who they thought he was. From the Kentucky Enquirer:
Embarrassed by the mistake, the county swiftly put Oros on a plane back to California.4,100 Miles For An Arrest That Just Goes Bust (Kentucky Enquirer, thanks Rick Pescovitz!)
"We decided with our attorneys that the best thing to do was get him back home as quick as we could," said Butler Judge-Executive David Fields.
But the cross-country jaunt may prove to cost the county a little more than the expense of a plane ticket.
As he was being freed, Oros ran into a helpful Kentucky lawyer who agreed to sue Butler County and the state of California, if necessary, to try to get extra compensation for the 2,000 miles he rode in shackles....
Other than the handcuffs locked tightly around his wrists, Oros said he enjoyed the 30-hour ride to Kentucky -- his first chance to states outside California.
"They fed me good," he said. "They were entirely nice people."
He also said he had no problem with Gaddie and Deputy Mitchell Russ doing a little souvenir hunting along the way.
"Praise God, let them shop," Oros said.
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Apparently this guy doesn't understand how to get the most compensation for his trouble. Rule #1, and I can't stress this enough: DO NOT tell people that you enjoyed the trip.
They may end up making him pitch in for gas >_>
I'm innocent, I tell ya, you got the wrong guy, say.
and "praise god, let them shop"??? not an atheistic anti-capitalist, I presume.
I dunno about this story. Yes, the Enquirer often scoops the straight press, but this level of idiocy seems pretty incredible. 4,100 miles for a misdemeanant? I don't buy it.
And their web site doesn't look right. Nothing whatever about John Edwards.
Next up: extradition hearings over a parking ticket.
Wow, doesn't surprise me though. I live in Kentucky and I've seen worse from the police around here. Guess that goes for anywhere though.
HAWKINS @2, You're thinking of the National Inquirer. This is the Cincinnati/Kentucky Enquirer, a mainstream daily paper.
OK, this just has to be turned into a movie...
Praise God, let them shop
Isn't that the new McCain motto?
Seriously, that belongs on the dollar bill.
cb
@#3
"this level of idiocy seems pretty incredible"
You haven't had much experience with cops and/or beauracracies, have you?
Stockholm Syndrome?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome
Poor sod.
Evading the police isn't a "minor felony," especially to the police. (There's actually a name for something that's a crime that isn't very serious, and it's not a "minor felony," it's called a "misdemeanor," but evading the cops is not one of those things.)
From the cops' POV, if someone actively evades capture, it can mean that the person has done something else that they don't want the police to know about (or they're a three-strike felon working on their third strike).
They just wanted an excuse to visit California? Fair enough.
Well, THAT should have convinced them, right there!
From the cops' POV, if someone actively evades capture, it can mean that the person has done something else that they don't want the police to know about
Very true Mr. Tuttle, very true. It can mean that. But it does not apply here.
Mr. Buttle is just silly.
Interesting: DWI means impaired judgment. How can someone impaired be charged with "evading" since that requires clear intent?
Didn't he get picked up because he stole the identity of the person the cops were actually looking for?
The link's text says, "4,100 Miles For An Arrest That Just Goes Busy," although the actual headline of TFA says "Bust" (as one might expect).
I know someone who was arrested for nonpayment of child support. The child in question was 8 years younger than he. The police admitted it was a mistake, that "everything's been straightened out", and then he was arrested again because his driver's license had been revoked for the nonpayment.
Fixed.
yee haw we gets us to go all the way to californe
So that would be kidnapping then. I know about forgiveness and all, but things like this deserve exposure so people don't repeat the mistakes. Especially law enforcement. They're paid and given the right to use force on people in trust. This is a severe breech of trust and any normal citizen would be chased across the country, shackled and brought back to pay for it.. wait a sec.
Everyone got to take a road trip! They had fun! Absurdity prevails, everyone is embarrassed, then goes home. This story is made of purest win.
i smell a movie deal!