Man locked up because of mistaken identity sues Hawaii
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — A formerly homeless man who ended up in a mental institution for more than two years because of mistaken identity is suing the state of Hawaii and various Honolulu police officers, public defenders and doctors. Joshua Spriestersbach’s attorneys say in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Honolulu that Hawaii officials haven’t responded to a petition seeking to correct his records so he can’t be mistaken for another man again. The lawsuit says Spriestersbach maintained he wasn’t the man who was wanted on a warrant. But he ended up in the Hawaii State Hospital, where the lawsuit says he was forced to take psychiatric drugs.
