Jahote Dorsey

A man who allegedly fled state police following a traffic stop Monday night in Butler was caught the next day. But the suspect claimed police got the wrong man, authorities said.

Jahote C. Dorsey, 26, of Butler was eventually arraigned Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of escape, tampering with physical evidence and resisting arrest.

At the arraignment, however, the defendant denied he was Dorsey. “That's not my name,” he told District Judge Wayne Seibel, who remanded the suspect to Butler County Prison on $100,000 bond.

Police said Dorsey was a passenger in a car that they stopped around 9:50 p.m. Monday on First Street near East Brady Street for a faulty taillight. The driver, it turned out, also was wanted on a warrant out of Allegheny County, police said.

Dorsey allegedly refused to give his name. He claimed he was a “sovereign Israeli-Muslim citizen,” police said.

The driver, who also owns the vehicle, told police that she only knew the suspect by the initials “J.D.” She was detained on the warrant and eventually was released when Allegheny County authorities advised they would not come and get her.

Police approached the passenger side and told the suspect to get out of the car, according to charging documents.

He stepped out with a drawstring bag in one of his hands. When an officer attempted to grab his arm, he allegedly pulled away and ran off with the bag.

A trooper chased the suspect for four to five blocks before losing sight of him.

Police later conferred with Butler police, providing a description of the passenger and their encounter with him. City officers were familiar with Dorsey from prior incidents.

State police identified the defendant using photos from a prior driver's license and social media. Police that night applied for an arrest warrant, which was signed Tuesday.

The same trooper who chased after Dorsey was driving on North Main Street in Butler around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday when he spotted the defendant walking in front of the Dollar General store, police said.

The trooper nabbed the suspect, who was found carrying $1,520 in currency and two cell phones.