A Polk County school bus driver is under arrest, accused of running from the law in New York. Haines City police arrested 45-year-old Jean Chery on Tuesday on a fugitive from justice warrant out of New York.

Investigators say Chery flagged down an officer in a Publix parking lot in Haines City at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday. Police say Chery told the officer he thought there was a warrant for his arrest in New York. The officer checked, confirmed there was a warrant and took Chery into custody. The warrant appears to stem from an assault charge, but no further details werer available.

Polk County School District officials were puzzled by the arrest. They say their background check of Chery, which included fingerprints sent to the FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, came back clean. They are trying to determine whether the arrest is a case of mistaken identity. They say Chery’s family has called them to say Haines City officers arrested the wrong guy.

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