The City and County of Honolulu will pay $975,000 to Joshua Spriestersbach, who was wrongfully arrested and held at the Hawaiʻi State Hospital for more than two years after being mistaken for another man. The Honolulu City Council approved the settlement on March 30, 2026. Spriestersbach had been misidentified by police multiple times since 2011, leading to his 2017 arrest and long detention. He may also receive an additional $200,000 from the state to settle claims against the public defender’s office. The case highlights failures in recordkeeping and identification practices involving homeless and mentally ill individuals.
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