North Dakota man eludes meth charges for days by pretending to be his brother

Grand Forks, N.D. - Police say it happens to them on a daily basis.

But in this case this guy got away with it for days in a case of un-brotherly love.

On Sunday, April 1, Dustin Decoteau, Dominick McLeod, Jesse Saldivar, and Autumn Spragg were arrested and booked into Grand Forks County Jail after deputies found nearly five grams of meth in their car during a traffic stop just outside of Thompson, N.D. 

However on Tuesday morning, April 3, Dustin Decoteau called the Grand Forks sheriff's office. 

“More dumbfounded and like what the heck,” said Lieutenant BJ Maxson

Because Dustin wasn’t arrested.

“(Dustin) Saw himself on the TV last night saying he had been arrested,” explained Maxson. 

It didn't take long for deputies to figure out it was really Dustin's stepbrother, Marlin Jude Decoteau Jr., of Jamestown, N.D.

“Our deputy, the same arresting officer who was on the traffic stop, went out to the correctional center, requested to see him, walked in called him Marlin, which he responded, sealing the deal he gave us the wrong information,” said Maxson.

Marlin appeared in court Monday fooling the judge and prosecutors about his real ID.  

“Sometimes they slip through the crack,” commented Maxson.

While police say it's unusual for it to take several days to learn a suspect's real ID, it's not that uncommon for people to use a relatives name.

“They were going with what they were given, there is other ways, nothing is fail safe,” explained Maxson.

In this case Marlin had some incentives. 

“It was found out later, once we positively found out who he was, he did have 2 felony warrants,” said Maxson.

Now Dustin remains where he was all weekend. At home. And those drug charges have been transferred to the correct Decoteau brother.
    
“He (Marlin) picked up all the charges plus one,” said Maxson.
            
That new charge for Marlin is lying to police.