The Unimaginable...Identity Theft Victim Mistakenly Labeled a Vicious Cop Killer
Denise Richardson
December 18, 2007
Last night Jim Defede and CBS4 News out of Miami, FL aired an exclusive interview with Kevin Wehner the victim of an identity theft whose picture was mistakenly released to the national news while police here were hunting for a cop killer. The Suspect had gone on a shooting rampage that left one officer dead and three others wounded. It was a horrifying day.
Those of us in South Florida, vividly remember the events of that horrific day. Though the news of the deadly shooting was national, locally our schools, streets and neighborhoods were on lock-down and every station glued the killer's picture to the screen, while hundreds of enforcement agencies frantically combed neighborhoods from the air and ground searching for Kevin Wehner, the person who police were told was responsible for their fellow officer's death and wounding of others. Police, as well as the rest of Florida and the nation would soon learn that Kevin Wehner was more than 350 miles away from the crime scene-and not in our area and couldn't have committed the crime.
When Kevin's name and picture were released to the media -the media began looking into Kevin's criminal history. They were surprised to learn-there was none.
At that moment, my gut churned as I began thinking...no criminal history...yet he gunned down three police officers -could it be possible they were searching for the wrong guy? Could this guy, whose picture was all over the news, be a victim of identity theft? I soon found out my my gnawing gut feeling was right -he was.
Suddenly -the picture of the killer they were looking for -the one that had been frozen on every local -and soon national TV screen -was removed and new picture went up with a new name and description of the killer. The one that was responsible for altering so many lives and families that fateful day.
As things were happening so quickly, there was still some confusion as to why the police suddenly released a completely different description and picture of the real killer and soon the public was informed why. The police had been intentionally misled by the girlfriend of the "real" killer. She gave them the name and drivers license of Kevin Wehner...an innocent identity theft victim.
At that point, I couldn't help but fear for the real Kevin Wehner -knowing that this man had been labeled a vicious cop killer who had just gone on a wild shooting rampage. Seeing his name frozen on the TV screen had an even more ironic effect on me personally. The name -Wehner, though not a common name to most -it is to me. Wehner is my family name -one I grew up with for many years.
I began worrying about what could happen to Kevin. I wondered what horrible things could happen to him if spotted simply walking down the street. Was he aware that in every corner of the State, in the air and on the ground, devastated police officers were on the hunt for a cop killer while carrying his picture?
As it turns out, Kevin was over 350 miles away in Jacksonville. He found out about the dragnet and the horrific events unfolding in South Florida as friends and family began calling him. The most difficult call for Kevin was the one from his Mom calling from as far away as New York. Her voice was shaking and in tears - she relayed that his picture was plastered all over the news ...and he was being called a Cop Killer.
Kevin suddenly realized how it was his name became tied to the on-going events unfolding in South Florida. He was a victim of identity theft and had been struggling to clear his credit identity for years. He had filed various police reports and requests for investigations with the police and the Department of Motor Vehicles. He knew his credit had been ruined -but now he was in shock that he was being called a killer. He feared for his life, rightfully so, and the lives of his family. He decided to contact the Jacksonville police right away. He told him he was aware of what was happening in South Florida and relayed he was home in Jacksonville, and alerted them to his prior police reports he had filed. They quickly descended on his house with guns drawn, placed him in the cruiser and took him away -while his family watched in horror.
Hear in Kevin's own words how this tragic chain of events has changed his life forever. CBS 4 is running an exclusive 2 part report.
Watch the CBS 4 video here
Tips to keep your identity safe
Those of us in South Florida, vividly remember the events of that horrific day. Though the news of the deadly shooting was national, locally our schools, streets and neighborhoods were on lock-down and every station glued the killer's picture to the screen, while hundreds of enforcement agencies frantically combed neighborhoods from the air and ground searching for Kevin Wehner, the person who police were told was responsible for their fellow officer's death and wounding of others. Police, as well as the rest of Florida and the nation would soon learn that Kevin Wehner was more than 350 miles away from the crime scene-and not in our area and couldn't have committed the crime.
When Kevin's name and picture were released to the media -the media began looking into Kevin's criminal history. They were surprised to learn-there was none.
At that moment, my gut churned as I began thinking...no criminal history...yet he gunned down three police officers -could it be possible they were searching for the wrong guy? Could this guy, whose picture was all over the news, be a victim of identity theft? I soon found out my my gnawing gut feeling was right -he was.
Suddenly -the picture of the killer they were looking for -the one that had been frozen on every local -and soon national TV screen -was removed and new picture went up with a new name and description of the killer. The one that was responsible for altering so many lives and families that fateful day.
As things were happening so quickly, there was still some confusion as to why the police suddenly released a completely different description and picture of the real killer and soon the public was informed why. The police had been intentionally misled by the girlfriend of the "real" killer. She gave them the name and drivers license of Kevin Wehner...an innocent identity theft victim.
At that point, I couldn't help but fear for the real Kevin Wehner -knowing that this man had been labeled a vicious cop killer who had just gone on a wild shooting rampage. Seeing his name frozen on the TV screen had an even more ironic effect on me personally. The name -Wehner, though not a common name to most -it is to me. Wehner is my family name -one I grew up with for many years.
I began worrying about what could happen to Kevin. I wondered what horrible things could happen to him if spotted simply walking down the street. Was he aware that in every corner of the State, in the air and on the ground, devastated police officers were on the hunt for a cop killer while carrying his picture?
As it turns out, Kevin was over 350 miles away in Jacksonville. He found out about the dragnet and the horrific events unfolding in South Florida as friends and family began calling him. The most difficult call for Kevin was the one from his Mom calling from as far away as New York. Her voice was shaking and in tears - she relayed that his picture was plastered all over the news ...and he was being called a Cop Killer.
Kevin suddenly realized how it was his name became tied to the on-going events unfolding in South Florida. He was a victim of identity theft and had been struggling to clear his credit identity for years. He had filed various police reports and requests for investigations with the police and the Department of Motor Vehicles. He knew his credit had been ruined -but now he was in shock that he was being called a killer. He feared for his life, rightfully so, and the lives of his family. He decided to contact the Jacksonville police right away. He told him he was aware of what was happening in South Florida and relayed he was home in Jacksonville, and alerted them to his prior police reports he had filed. They quickly descended on his house with guns drawn, placed him in the cruiser and took him away -while his family watched in horror.
Hear in Kevin's own words how this tragic chain of events has changed his life forever. CBS 4 is running an exclusive 2 part report.
Watch the CBS 4 video here
Tips to keep your identity safe
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