>> Matt: WELL, A CENTRAL FLORIDA MAN FOUND HIMSELF HANDCUFFED AND LOCKED UP IN JAIL.
>> Ginger: YEAH, BUT HE IS NOT A
CRIMINAL.
INSTEAD, HE’S A VICTIM OF
IDENTITY THEFT.
NEWS 6 INVESTIGATOR MIKE
DeFOREST HAS BEEN DIGGING INTO
THIS ARREST AND JOINS US NOW IN
THE STUDIO.
HOW DID AN INNOCENT MAN WIND UP
IN JAIL?
>> THE SIMPLE ANSWER IS A LONG
TIME CRIMINAL STOLE HIS
IDENTITY.
BUT MY EXAMINATION FOUND LAW
ENFORCEMENT MISSED MULTIPLE
OPPORTUNITIES TO CONFIRM THE TWO
MEN’S IDENTITIES WHICH LED TO
THE WRONG ONE GO TO JAIL.
>> DURING BIKE WEEK, DAYTONA
BEACH POLICE STOPPED THIS MAN
FOR A MINOR TRAFFIC INFRACTION.
THAT’S WHEN OFFICERS DISCOVERED
AN ARREST WARRANT.
IF HE LOOKED SURPRISED, IT’S
BECAUSE THIS BIKER HAS NEVER
BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW.
>> I WORKED ALL MY LIFE HARD NOT
TO GO IN JAIL AND I’M HERE NOW
FOR SOMETHING I DIDN’T DO.
>> Reporter: HIS NAME IS JONAH
SCOTT MILLER.
>> THE ARREST WARRANT WAS FOR
ZIN MOLLY McDADE.
A TRANSIENT WITH A LENGTHY
CRIMINAL RECORD.
THE WARRANT WAS FOR THAT
CHILDHOOD FRIEND WHO MILLER SAYS
HE HASN’T SPOKEN WITH IN NEARLY
20 YEARS.
>> YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF ALIASES.
I NEED TO VERIFY THEM.
>> Reporter: MILLER WAS PLACED
IN HANDCUFFS, EVEN THOUGH McDADE
WAS THE ONE WANTED BY POLICE FOR
SHOPLIFTING CELL PHONE CHARGERS.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
ZIN McDADE HAS SEVERAL ALIASES,
INCLUDING JONAH SCOTT MILLER.
HOW DID THE NAMES GET LINKED
TOGETHER?
NEWS 6 MAY HAVE UNCOVERED THE
ANSWER.
LAST YEAR, McDADE WAS CAUGHT
TRESPASSING AT THIS 7-ELEVEN IN
COCOA BEACH.
ACCORDING TO A REPORT, THE
TRANSIENT LIED TO A POLICE
OFFICER, CLAIMING HIS NAME WAS
JONAH SCOTT MILLER.
SOMEHOW HE WAS ABLE TO TELL
POLICE HIS OLD FRIEND’S DATE OF
BIRTH, BIRTHPLACE, ADDRESS, AND
LAST FOUR DIGITS OF THE SOCIAL
SECURITY NUMBER.
CONVINCED THE TRANSIENT WAS
MILLER, THE OFFICER TOOK HIM TO
JAIL WHERE HE WAS BOOKED UNDER
THE WRONG NAME.
THE NEXT DAY, FINGERPRINTS
CONFIRMED McDADE’S REAL IDENTITY
AND HE WAS CHARGED WITH GIVING
POLICE A FALSE I.D.
>> THE ARRESTING OFFICER NOTICED
MILLER HAD TATTOOS AND SCARS.
THE DATABASE INDICATED THE
WANTED FUGITIVE ALSO HAD TATTOOS
AND SCARS.
>> EVERYTHING MATCHED EXCEPT THE
HEIGHT.
THE HEIGHT SAID 5-7.
>> Reporter: DESPITE BEING MUCH
TALLER THAN THE PERSON LISTED ON
THE WARRANT, POLICE TOOK MILLER
TO JAIL WHERE HE WAS LOCKED UP
FOR MORE THAN 12 HOURS.
>> IT WAS HELL.
IT WAS HELL.
IT WAS HORRIBLE.
>> Reporter: MILLER WAS RELEASED
THE NEXT AFTERNOON WHEN
FINGERPRINTS CONFIRMED HE WAS
NOT McDADE.
>> WHAT KIND OF APOLOGIES DID
YOU GET?
>> NONE.
NOPE.
>> Reporter: THE COCOA BEACH
POLICE DEPARTMENT INSISTS THEIR
OFFICERS ACTED APPROPRIATELY,
SAYING McDADE PROVIDED ENOUGH
PERSONAL INFORMATION TO CONVINCE
THEM THAT HE WAS MILLER.
THE DAYTONA BEACH POLICE
DEPARTMENT, WHICH ARRESTED
MILLER, SAID THEIR OFFICERS MADE
THE BEST JUDGMENT THEY COULD
WITH THE EQUIPMENT THEY HAVE.
VOLUSIA COUNTY JAIL
REPRESENTATIVES SAID THEY COULD
NOT RELEASE MILLER UNTIL ALL OF
THE VERIFICATION STEPS WERE
COMPLETE.
>> Ginger: HOLY COW.
I NEED A DRINK OF WATER JUST
FROM WATCHING THAT STORY.
>> Matt: I NEED MORE THAN WATER.
>> Ginger: IF WE FIND OURSELVES
IN THIS SITUATION, HOW CAN WE
AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM OF
IDENTITY THEFT AND HAVING
SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN?
>> Reporter: THERE ARE WAYS TO
CORRECT SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT DOES WORK WITH
IDENTITY THEFT VICTIMS TO TRY TO
GET THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION
REMOVED FROM SOMEONE ELSE’S
CRIMINAL HISTORY FILE.
WE PASSED THAT ON TO JONAH
MILLER AND POSTED A LINK TO THAT
INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE.
LOOK FOR THIS STORY ON THERE.
>> Matt: NEW HIS BIRTHDAY AND
LAST FOUR OF HIS SOCIAL?
>> Reporter: HE SAYS HE HAS NO
IDEA HOW THIS GUY HE HASN’T SEEN
IN YEARS GOT ALL THAT INFO.