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Wrongfully Arrested Dad Misses Birth of Baby Girl Over ‘Sloppy Investigation’

Authorities mistook Samuel Vasquez for a different man, Samuel Vazquez—despite the two bearing no resemblance.

A Florida man missed his daughter’s birth after police wrongfully arrested him in a case of mistaken identity. Samuel Vasquez, 29, was detained Sept. 12 in Duval County and faced charges including assault, burglary, criminal mischief, grand theft, and cruelty to animals, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Vasquez, who has no criminal history, spent two weeks in jail, causing him to miss the birth of his second daughter. The mistake was due to a one-letter difference with actual suspect Samuel Vazquez, 41, who is accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and her dog. The two bear no similarities in age, height, birthday, weight or appearance. Charges were only dropped after his attorneys were able to prove that deputies had arrested the wrong person. Attorney Rajan Joshi told Fox 35 that “in 25 years, I’ve never seen a more sloppy investigation than this – ever!” The attorneys contacted the suspect’s ex-girlfriend to show Vasquez’s mugshot. “I show her...the mugshot of my client – and she tells me, I’ve never seen that man before,” said attorney Jonathan Vega. The Daily Beast has reached out to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for comment.