Man Resembling ‘John Doe’ to Be Tried on Other Charges

A Santa Monica judge on Tuesday ordered an Oklahoma man held for trial on misdemeanor charges following a five-day odyssey in which the man was held on suspicion that he was Oklahoma City bombing suspect “John Doe No. 2.”

Kyle Wilson Forney, 25, of Oklahoma City, came to court a day after the FBI determined he had no connection to the April 19 bombing. He appeared before Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Robert Altman at a hearing to determine if there was probable cause to try him on charges that include giving false information to a police officer and impersonating another person. Bail was set at $5,000.

Forney, who bears a resemblance to an early composite drawing of John Doe No. 2 distributed by federal law agencies, had been arrested Friday morning in a Santa Monica beach parking lot.

Police said they were initially suspicious of Forney’s dirty, unoccupied Pontiac Firebird with Oklahoma plates, which was parked illegally in a permit-only lot.

When Forney returned to the car, police said he appeared to resemble John Doe No. 2. He did not have a valid driver’s license or other identification. Police said Forney, who had a tattoo on his left arm, also part of the description of the Oklahoma bombing suspect, lied about his identity.

Following Forney’s arrest, Santa Monica police were optimistic they had captured the most wanted man in America.

But the enthusiasm waned Friday evening as FBI agents investigating Forney declined to say whether he was the suspect. On Monday, the agency determined that he had not been involved in the bombing, an FBI spokesman said.

Forney’s public defender contended Tuesday that police did not have probable cause to arrest Forney, but the judge disagreed.

“Everybody would be outraged if police hadn’t done anything,” Altman said. “After seeing who he was and where he came from, (police) certainly had the right to detain him.”

On Forney’s appearance, Altman said: “Looking at the picture (of John Doe No. 2), there are similarities.”