Oct 29, 2007 5:59 pm US/Eastern
Case Of Mistaken Identity Sends N.J. Man To Jail
NEW JERSEY (CBS) ―
It's a strange case of mistaken identity that landed a New Jersey man in the county jail.
Kerry L. Edwards found himself behind bars for a month at the Monmouth County Jail, after he said Freehold Township Police arrested him walking home from work, believing he was another man, Rodney McFadden.
Rodney McFadden was wanted for a slew of motor vehicle violations.
"They said they were looking for a guy with scars and tattoos," said Edwards.
Edwards was arrested almost a year ago as he crossed Route 9. Even the police report identifies him as Rodney McFadden and his own name appears in the alias box.
"I showed them my identification and they still insisted I was Rodney McFadden," Edwards said. According to Edwards, police even took his fingerprints.
"He said my fingerprints came up as Rodney McFadden. I told him I don't know how that could be," he said.
The 45-year-old is suing both the jail and the police department in Federal Court, claiming he was falsely arrested and imprisoned.
"To put this man in jail for 30 days for something as ridiculous as parking tickets and forget about him is scary," said Edwards' attorney, Thomas Mallon.
The Freehold Township Police and the Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail, would not comment Monday, saying they can't talk about pending litigation.
As for Edwards, his story gets even stranger. In order to get out of jail, he had to post bail under McFadden's name.
"Basically I had to become Rodney McFadden. They got rid of my identity and gave me his identity," said Edwards.
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