Melbourne police: 'Sand Flea Jesus' pet thief stole identity upon arrest

Melbourne police said Thursday the man they arrested Tuesday and charged with stealing a teenager's pet snake misidentified himself in the process. 

By Thursday morning, police realized the suspect had given them someone else's name — John Robinson. The real John Robinson is a local surfer who is not a suspect in any crime, police said. 

The real John Robinson said he and his family have received dozens of calls about the mix-up. 

"Pretty much I think he has dreadlocks and I have dreadlocks and that's how this all came about," Robinson said. "Things were kind of getting strange. I almost felt like there was a doppelgänger in the town. Very much like 'The Twilight Zone.' "

The man, who was charged and booked at the Brevard County Jail Complex Wednesday, is being called "John Doe," because police do not know his identity.

Police said John Doe — informally known around Indian Harbour Beach as "Sand Flea Jesus" — also is accused of stealing a cat from the Aloha Pet & Bird Hospital back in November of last year. He returned in December and smashed a window to the cat adoption area, police said. 

John Doe was resisting having his fingerprints taken at the jail complex, making it difficult to pin down his exact identity, said Cmdr. Marc Claycomb of the Melbourne Police Department.

Police are still working to determine how exactly John Doe got away with using another person's identity, according to Claycomb. Officers are also trying to determine how he was arrested and booked under the false name. 

Original:Melbourne police arrest man after snake snatching

More:Melbourne police seek clues to ID 'Sand Flea Jesus' after window broken at pet hospital

"We're still trying to figure out how this guy has John Robinson's name," he said. 

Claycomb said both men have similar hair color and physical build, and both frequent the same area of the beach. 

John Doe, however, is homeless and lives in the sea grapes near Canova Beach and has been seen on Facebook, where he's been accused of cutting fishing lines and unhooking dog leashes, police said.

Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491

or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @tyler_vazquez