Man Says Arrest Warrant Is Result Of Identity Theft
Posted: 4:59 pm EDT April 26, 2004Updated: 5:01 pm EDT April 26, 2004
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. -- An Osceola County man says he's a victim of identity theft and he's going to great lengths to clear his good name. He plans to go to court to fight being arrested again. The man's life is being disrupted because someone else is using his signature.
Tom Maslanka says he's got the proof that he's a victim of identity theft and he's tired of trying to defend himself to police. But he'll continue to fight this, because he wants to avoid jail time at all costs.Tom and his wife run a mom and pop furniture store in Osceola County. Tom's been holding up the business for 27 years, but his reputation was tarnished when sheriff's deputies showed up two years ago, and cuffed him.After an hour, Maslanka was able to convince deputies they had the wrong guy. He showed them the identity theft report and other paperwork.Deputies had a warrant for his arrest, because a Maitland pool storeowner pressed charges, wanting Maslanka to make good on a $442 bad check and a deli in Altamonte Springs claimed Maslanka owed it hundreds of dollars.But, Maslanka says the checks weren't his; he has no account with Republic Bank in Orlando and his real signature doesn't even match the one on the checks. He doesn't even match the description given of the guy who wrote the checks, but he's still a wanted man.After a traffic stop, he was nearly arrested a second time, but, again, Osceola deputies let him go. He fears he'll get no sympathy in Orange County if stopped.Maslanka's attorney says he has few options. "He said I have to get arrested to fight it and I don't want to get arrested for something I didn't do," says Maslanka.But the State Attorney's Office agrees there's no other way. A spokesperson says, Maslanka will have to turn himself in, bond out and then take up the fight in court to clear his name.
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