WHOOPS: Name mix-up in sexual battery case sends wrong Clay County teen to jail for 35 days.

When Hawkins, who interviewed the victim, thought Cody Lee Williams was the suspect, he failed to show her his photo to confirm he had the right person, according to an internal report on Hawkins’ investigation. . . .

It wasn’t until Williams went to court in early October and was given documents with the details of the charges against him that he put the pieces together. He called his mother from jail and told her he believed police were actually seeking someone else named Cody Williams.

Maybe they should hire Cody Lee Williams as an investigator. It sounds like he can actually do the job.

Three officers have received formal counseling for their role in the wrongful arrest and another officer faces a 10-day unpaid suspension and a transfer from investigations to patrol. . . .

Sheriff Rick Beseler said his department has policies in place intended to prevent these types of wrongful arrests.

“If those policies had been followed then this wouldn’t have happened,” he said. “This is not a routine problem. That’s why the supervisors are even being held accountable. We take this stuff very seriously.”

Seriously, indeed: a ten-day suspension for shirking official procedures and imprisoning an innocent young man for over a month.