'I'm not Angel Ramos-Padilla,' suspect in 1985 escape tells judge

Man arrested on warrant says Social Security number, birthdate don't match

MIAMI ā€“ A man arrested on an outstanding warrant for a 1985 escape appeared before a Miami-Dade County judge Thursday, claiming his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.

Angel Ramos-Padilla was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Wednesday night, stemming from an October 1985 arrest warrant.

The warrant alleges that Ramos-Padilla and another man escaped from custody while they were being taken to jail on Oct. 12, 1985.

He was arrested at the Jefferson Correctional Institution, a state prison in Monticello, and extradited to South Florida.

Judge Mindy Glazer set a $15,000 bond and was preparing for the next case on her docket when Ramos-Padilla made a surprising revelation in court.

"I'm not Angel Ramos-Padilla," he told his public defender.

His attorney asked Glazer if she heard his confession, and she told him that the state thinks otherwise.

"It's not me," Ramos-Padilla told the judge.

Through his attorney, Ramos-Padilla said the Social Security number and the date of birth listed on the warrant were not his.

Glazer noted his listed aliases as a possibility for the confusion.

"He has a bunch of aliases," Glazer said. "I am not buying into this."

A prosecutor told Glazer that she would call the warrants detective who verified his identity, but his attorney said fingerprinting would be the best way to verify his identity.

Angel Ramos-Padilla was arrested on an outstanding warrant stemming from a 1985 escape.

"Yes," Ramos-Padilla agreed.

Glazer said she was looking at a booking photograph from the 1980s and his recent arrest photo, pointing out that they appear "identical."

"I've represented people on extradition cases where the extradition paperwork contained the picture of our client, who was before the court, and it was determined that it was not the correct individual," Ramos-Padilla's attorney told the judge.

Glazer said she still found probable cause to set a bond, but she reset the hearing for later in the day.

"Bye," she told Ramos-Padilla. "We'll see you later."


About the Author:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.