A 29-year-old father missed the birth of his second child after being wrongfully arrested and detained in Florida for 13 days.
Samuel Vasquez was mistakenly arrested on Sept. 12 in Duval County and charged with assault, burglary, criminal mischief, grand theft, and cruelty to animals. The error stemmed from a one-letter difference in the spelling of his last name and confusion with a 41-year-old man accused of abuse.
Vasquez spent four days at Duval County Jail before being extradited over 200 miles to Polk County. Despite maintaining his innocence, he remained behind bars, ultimately missing his daughter’s birth. Reports indicate that Vasquez bore no visual resemblance to the actual suspect, Samuel Vazquez, who was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and her dog outside a Publix in Davenport.
Rajan Joshi, Senior Partner at Joshi Law Firm, called it “the most sloppy investigation” he had seen in 25 years. The two men differed in age, birthdate, height, and weight. Vasquez also had no criminal history, while Vazquez was on probation at the time of the alleged assault.
Attorneys showed a mugshot of Vasquez to the ex-girlfriend of the real suspect. She reportedly said, “I’ve never seen that man before.” It wasn’t until legal representatives contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office that Vasquez was released.
All charges against Samuel Vasquez were dropped. The actual suspect, Samuel Vazquez, remained in Charlotte County awaiting extradition to Polk County. Authorities have not immediately commented on the case.
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