Suspect Trees Himself, Gives Fake Identification Info
A Tennessee man recently learned the hard way that you cannot evade authorities by hiding in a tree. According to WBIR.com, the man had entered a convenience store and stuffed several beers in his clothes before walking out. When the man was confronted in the parking lot by an employee, he pulled out what appeared to be a gun and escaped. Upon searching the area in response to an armed robbery call, the police found their suspect camouflaged among the branches of a nearby tree.
Near the man, they also found beer and a BB gun, leading to the logical conclusion that this was indeed the man who had robbed the convenience store. When confronted with this evidence, the fact that he was hiding in a tree, and the fact that two witnesses placed him at the scene, the man gave the police a series of fake aliases in order to attempt to avoid prosecution. Police were able to see through the ruse, however, and have identified the suspect’s real name. His attempt at assuming a fake identity resulted in his being charged with criminal impersonation in Knoxville.
Two lessons can be learned by this man’s example. First, hiding in trees to evade the authorities is far from a foolproof plan. Second, once you have been arrested, giving false aliases in an effort to avoid prosecution is not only futile, but will actually make your circumstances worse. Anyone who pretends to be someone other than who they really are for purposes of avoiding arrest will be guilty of criminal impersonation under T.C.A. section 39-16-301(a). Violation of this subsection will result in a Class B misdemeanor charge, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine not to exceed $500.
The likelihood that a person about to be arrested will avoid such arrest by giving a false identity is incredibly small, while the likelihood that it will lead to additional charges is almost guaranteed. Thus, offenders would be well advised to avoid such actions altogether and not attempt to provide false identification information.
Sources: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=102325&catid=2
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