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.
"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.
4,100 Miles For An Arrest That Just Goes Bust (Kentucky Enquirer, thanks Rick Pescovitz!)
