A man spent eight weeks in jail in a case of mistaken identity. He could have been out sooner but, apparently, no one in the system has the job of actually confirming the identity of those they arrest.
"All I was asking for over and over again was for them [authorities] to fax my picture over to Texas," Collazo said. "All it takes is five minutes."
"In January, the Osceola County Jail obtained a copy of the fugitive's mug shot, which clearly does not match that of Collazo, according to jail documents. Jail officials said they play no part in verifying the identity of their inmates."
"I don't know if it's for us to determine the identity. We go by the paperwork we have," said the Osceola County Jail's interim director, Joyce Peach.
Play no part? Don't go to any extra effort, like actually looking at the picture. No one would check his story until the newspaper started asking questions.
"No one checked out his story until Thursday at Orlando International Airport, just as a Harris County, Texas, sheriff's official was about to escort him onto a flight to Houston. Collazo said that didn't happen until the Orlando Sentinel began making inquiries. After faxing Collazo's photograph to Harris County authorities, the cop handed over $45 for cab fare and told him he was free to go."
I hope he's smart enough to get a good lawyer and they should take the money he is awarded out of the paychecks of all those involved. Identity theft is a growing problem and it's getting worse because it's always someone elses job to check these things out. The victim has to investigate and figure everything out for themselves.
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