The Albuquerque Journal is reporting that the Utah inmate I mentioned earlier has been identified, but sadly, it appears he is not the missing DA from Pennsylvania. John Doe's brother reportedly recognized him after the mug shot was released to the media, and identified him as one Phillip T. Beavers of New Mexico.
Few details are available at the moment, so we still don't know why Mr. Beavers was in Utah or why he has kept his identity a secret for three weeks. Although if my name was "Mr. Beavers," I might not be in a big hurry to reveal that, either.
The Utah sheriff's office where Mr. Beavers is being held would not immediately confirm the report, but an officer was quoted as saying he felt "pretty comfortable" with the identification. Maybe they will also feel comfortable now letting him out of jail, since he's been there three weeks already for what was basically a refusal to get out of a parking garage. No one has claimed he is mentally ill or dangerous, and I'm pretty sure you can't constitutionally be required to show a police officer your ID. So even if they can't solve this mystery, he's probably entitled to be on his way.
Please don't make me start a "Free Phillip T. Beavers" campaign.
