Wrongly Arrested Homeless Man Locked in Hospital for 2 Years & Forced to Take Psychiatric Drugs

After being wrongfully identified as a criminal, Joshua Spriestersbach was sent to a mental institution for more than two years of heavy psychiatric medication.

In 2017, Joshua Spriestersbach was a homeless man patiently waiting in line to be served by the Honolulu shelter. The hungry man fell asleep, only to find himself awoken by police officers for his sudden arrest.

The indigent believed he was being apprehended for violating the city's ordinances of sleeping in a public space. Little did he know that he was mistaken for a Mr. Thomas Castleberry, a 2006 drug criminal.

MISTAKENLY ARRESTED

Upon realizing that he was being incarcerated, Spriestersbach repeatedly argued that he was not Castleberry and that he had nothing to do with any of the crimes being pinned against him.

Eventually, his protests were perceived as a form of psychotic behavior, pushing authorities to send him to the Hawaii State Hospital, where he was sedated. His sister, Vedanta Griffith, told The Associated Press:

"Part of what they used against him was his own argument: 'I'm not Thomas Castleberry. I didn't commit these crimes. This isn't me,' so they used that as saying he was delusional, as justification for keeping him."

THE TRUTH

For nearly three years, Spriestersbach was in a place he wasn't supposed to be in... until one psychiatrist decided to listen. The medical professional learned that Spriestersbach was in a completely different location when Castleberry was initially arrested upon an initial search.

The finding prompted the hospital to call in investigators to verify photographs and fingerprints. Not long after, authorities confirmed that Castleberry had already been in custody in an Alaskan prison.

After his release, Spriestersbach ended up in a homeless shelter and eventually at his sister's ten-acre property. The older sibling emphasized that her brother is terrified of leaving the place, thinking he may be taken once again.

A SIMILAR INCIDENT

Failing to make accurate verifications isn't the first time for most authorities. A similar case occurred in Newport News city where Maurice Antonio Williams, a chef at a retirement home, was mistaken for another man with the same name.

He was immediately handcuffed and charged for a robbery that occurred on 24th street of the city. Williams used his right to contact to reach for his girlfriend, Christina Brown.

Brown noticed that her boyfriend's address on the arrest documents showed a wrong residence. She immediately searched for a Monty William associated with the address, and that's when she found a Monty Lavonta Williams.

The agitated partner reported her findings to the authorities, and as soon as they realized their mistake, Williams was released. Later, the victims were also shown photos of Monty Antonio Williams, to which they noted that he was not the perpetrator.

IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Another man was reportedly mistakenly picked up from an emergency site. Later, he was seen sprinting away from medical professionals in an ambulance. Though the truth about the video isn't verified, viewers have made plausible explanations.

Given that he was able to run as if nothing was wrong with his body, it was possible that he wasn't actually the injured person. On the other hand, others theorized that it could be upon realizing the high costs of medical care.