A mistaken identity incident has caused embarrassment for a Ramat Shlomo resident, not to mention police, the court and Jerusalem City Hall.

According to a HaMevaser report, at about 10:00am Sunday morning, police knocked on the door of a resident of Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo (Reches Shuafat) neighborhood. The man they were looking for was not at home, with members of the house pointing them to a nearby shul. They asked the wife to accompany them to the shul, traveling in a special vehicle used to arrest suspects.

Police were armed with a warrant for his arrest for 30 days in connection to building violations in the Gush 80 area of the capital. His wife and the suspect both exclaimed there must be an error, informing police they haven’t a clue regarding any building, construction or property in Gush 80. Police nevertheless were insistent, explaining if he was unwilling to sign a guarantee stating that if he repeats the offense in the coming two years, he will pay a NIS 32,000 fine, he will be incarcerated for 30 days.

Police showed the suspect the criminal charges against him for his building violations in the Givat Moshe area of Gush 80. They realized the charges were filed by the state against five defendants, with number two on the list being a resident of Betar Illit with a name very similar to the Ramat Shlomo resident. His address on the charge sheet stated Betar Illit, but nevertheless, the police came to Jerusalem.

The man insisted that he never lived in Betar Illit and never had any dealings in Gush 80. He was nevertheless compelled to sign the guarantee to avoid arrest. Some of the people present told police they know the Betar Illit resident, telling police they have made a mistake in the identity, most likely because the arrest warrant did not have the identity numbers of the five suspects.

Jerusalem city inspectors preferred to decline comment, directing the focus of the inquiry to the court. A inspection of the court papers reveals that four of the five defendants are listed by name, address and identity number, with the exception of number two, the Betar Illit resident.

The city prosecutor insists the Ramat Shlomo man is indeed the suspect sought for the building violations and recommends that he hires a competent attorney to prove his innocence.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)