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Identify theft victim arrested in Brevard despite paperwork clearing his name

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A father who just got out of the Brevard County Jail said deputies threw the wrong suspect behind bars.

Erie Salgado was pulled over this weekend and arrested on an out-of-state warrant, but he said his identity was stolen years ago and that he is not a wanted criminal.

Salgado, his wife and two kids were driving to the beach in Brevard County on Saturday when they were stopped.

"It's been hell for us," said Salgado's wife, Bethzaida Crespo. "We got pulled over for tinted windows."

When the deputy ran Salgado's information, it showed there was an active Massachusetts warrant for his arrest.

Salgado was then cuffed and hauled away to jail and for four days, Brevard County officials believed they had a fugitive cocaine dealer in custody, but they were wrong.

Salgado showed Channel 9 the paperwork to prove he is just a working dad from Kissimmee who fell victim to identity theft.

But he's paying the price as a known criminal continues to use his name, Social Security number and birthdate

"My son's affected by it," said Crespo. "He even asked me if they would kill him in jail."

It turns out this is not the first time deputies have mistaken Salgado for the real fugitive.

In March, Osceola deputies tried to arrest him after a traffic stop, too. In that incident, they were able to sort out the confusion.

However, with the holiday weekend, it took until Tuesday to clear up the confusion in Brevard County.