crime
Man awarded $975,000 after years wrongly held in Hawaii psychiatric hospital
Joshua Spriestersbach, 54, received a $975,000 settlement after misidentification led to arrests, jail time and more than two years in a state psychiatric hospital.
Apr 1st 2026 ยท United States
Insights
- He was first misidentified in 2011 after giving the surname Castleberry, linking him to a 2009 warrant for Thomas R. Castleberry.
- Fingerprinting in 2015 showed he was not Castleberry but official records were not corrected.
- Arrested again in 2017, he spent four months in jail then more than two years at Hawaii State Hospital before his release in January 2020.
- Honolulu approved a $975,000 settlement and he may receive up to $200,000 more from the state to resolve related claims.
Sources
- Innocent man wins $975k payout after mistaken ID sees him locked in psych hospital for years www.independent.co.uk
- Jail for man who worked with wife to deal with love scam proceeds totalling more than $1 million www.straitstimes.com
- Innocent man awarded $975,000 after being mistakenly held in psychiatric hospital for years timesofindia.indiatimes.com