Identical twins share a lot of things -- a birth date, a womb, the same looks -- but they're each entitled to their own rap sheet.
Mitch Torbett, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., spent two days behind bars trying to convince the police they really were looking for his twin brother, Mike.
Torbett was arrested last week for a federal crime his identical twin brother is accused of in Louisiana before dying two years ago.
"If they would've trusted me, if they would've given me the benefit of the doubt, if they would've done that, none of this would've happened," Mitch Torbett told WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The double trouble started when Torbett applied for a construction permit in Signal Mountain and, after running his driver's license, officials discovered a federal warrant for his arrest.
Although Torbett told police the federal warrant had to be linked to Michael, his now-deceased identical twin, officials arrested him and turned over the case to the FBI.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office told WRCB that the warrant was under Mitch's name. However, the affidavit shows "Mike Torbett," Mitch's twin and under the arrestee's name it says, "unknown -- do not change."
"I saw his name and I realized that I was in trouble, big trouble," Torbett said, adding that even though he was booked, he refused to sign any paperwork because it had his brother's name on it.
"I turned into my identical twin, deceased brother," Torbett said.
A source at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office told WRCB that Mike must have given Mitch's name when he was arrested, saying, "that happens with twins all the time."
It was only when Mitch went before a judge and the FBI presented fingerprints from both brothers that officials finally believed that he wasn't all double talk.
"[The agent] said, 'Your honor, we have the wrong person. He needs to be released immediately'," Torbett said.
Now Torbett is working with an attorney to file a civil suit against the Signal Mountain Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, according to WTAM-TV.
Twin researcher Dr. Nancy Segal said the relationship between twins is so unique that they sometimes do unusual things to each other.
"Do you recall the Korean twins in which one tried to have the other killed to assume her identity since she was wanted for credit card fraud? They remained friends," Segal told The Huffington Post. "My point is that what appears extraordinary to others may not seem that way to twins. Mitch was probably hurt by this, but deep down he may have understood and forgiven his brother."
Related on HuffPost:
Loading comments… 
Posted: 05/09/2012 6:06 pm Updated: 05/09/2012 6:13 pm