Here’s a cautionary tale about how easy it is to be jailed mistakenly. Former Utah journalist Jay Patrick spent two nights in the Cache County, Ut., jail last week before law enforcement officials in two states realized he wasn't actually one of Nevada's 10 most-wanted fugitives, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. “I was pretty scared,” Patrick said afterwards. “You hear of people put on death row who didn't do it, so I'm thinking it's feasible I could go to prison for this.”
Patrick, 36, formerly a reporter for the Herald Journal in Logan, Ut., was able to find articles he wrote and time cards showing he wasn't in Mesquite, Nv., on the dates he was accused of selling meth. It was not clear how his name was entered into a law enforcement database in the first place. Patrick went to court in late March after missing a court date for fishing without a license. While his case was being processed, a law enforcement officer checked a database and told Patrick he was wanted in Nevada for meth trafficking “and in fact, Mr. Patrick, you are on the top 10 most-wanted list.'”