07 Feb Man arrested in Maryland for DUI charges, alleged identity theft

On behalf of Jack B. Rubin, PA posted in Drunk Driving on Thursday, February 7, 2013.

DUI charges can often bring a variety of challenges for Maryland residents who find themselves facing such accusations. Whenever police stop an individual for suspected DUI, however, it is important to give accurate information to authorities in order to avoid additional charges. Maryland State Police are now alleging that a man who was stopped on suspected DUI charges back in September gave them another person’s identity in an attempt to avoid prosecution.

That traffic stop reportedly occurred when a police officer witnessed a car swerving on a road. The officer arrested the person for suspected DUI, but the man refused to undergo a blood-alcohol test. At that point, authorities charged the man and released him once he refused to take the test.

The truth was reportedly discovered after a second person came to the Maryland State Police in January of this year. He said that while he was the person whose identity had been given to police, he was not the person that had been stopped and arrested. It was apparently brought to his attention that another person had given authorities his identity after being arrested when he was sent paperwork related to the DUI charges.

Maryland authorities then began investigating which individual should have actually received the DUI charges. They identified a man who lived at the same residence as the purported victim of identity fraud and confirmed that was the person arrested by comparing it with an MVA photo for that individual. Now, the newly-identified individual is facing DUI charges, along with identity fraud to avoid prosecution and making a false statement to a peace officer. Despite these serious allegations against him, however, the man has the right to be deemed innocent until and only if authorities can prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: TheBayNet.com, “Man Charged with Identity Fraud,” Marty Madden, Jan. 28, 2013