CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte man was jailed after his lost driver’s license was used to commit a crime and it took nearly a year to clear his name.
Jordan Walker doesn’t take his freedom for granted after spending several nights in jail.
“I currently teach at Butler High School as a food and nutrition teacher,” Walker said.
He enjoys traveling but one of his latest trips turned into a nightmare.
“It makes me very weary of traveling,” Walker said.
He is weary because his last trip landed him in jail.
“I honestly felt like i was dreaming, like i was in like some kind of nightmare,” walker said.
That nightmare started in April 2022 when Walker took a trip to Epcot.
He was enjoying a food festival with friends.
“I went to go pay for something, and I noticed that my driver’s license was not in my wallet in its usual spot,” he said.
He flagged down park security reported his license lost and eventually rode with his friends back up to Charlotte.
A week later, there was still with no sign of his ID, so he got a new one through the DMV.
Life simply went on.
“I’m honestly thinking that everything is over,” he said.
However, the ordeal was far from over.
In 2024, Walker traveled back to Florida. This time for a cruise with his family.
He had a good time with his family until he had an encounter with customs officials after he got off the ship. Officials requested his ID.
“They told me that the driver’s license matched down to the ‘T’ of a driver’s license that was used for grand theft,” he said.
Walker was arrested.
“They shackled my feet, and they handcuffed my arms, and they walked me down,” Walker said.
He said he spent three days in jail.
His family had no idea where he was until he finally was allowed to call them.
“It was traumatizing,” he said. “And you know, I had never been to jail before. It was just inexperienced. I wouldn’t wish on anybody, especially with me in there trying to advocate for myself.”
Walker eventually posted bond and over the next few months, he realized what really happened.
It started when Walker called CarMax and made an appointment to test drive a car for 15 minutes, according to an affidavit.
However, that was not him.
Surveillance video showed another man using Walker’s ID and getting the keys to a BMW for the test drive.
Walker said the officers who reviewed the video and later arrested him, should have known it wasn’t him.
“My ID says I’m a person that’s five foot five and even just looking at the video, you can tell the person is significantly taller,” Walker said. “The person is their skin complexion is different, the hair and just overall, just the body build of the person.”
Walker said he was offered plea deals so if he said he did steal that car, he’d get a lesser punishment.
Walker spent $13,000 in legal fees trying to the charge
He still thought about taking the plea deal even though he was innocent.
“I just really got tired of seeing my family have to struggle to help make ends meet and just pay these legal fees,” Walker said. “So, it definitely was just times where I was like, Maybe I should just take the plea deal.”
Last month, nearly a year after it all began, prosecutors finally dropped the charges.
Walker’s defense team proved an alibi showing that Walker was not even in the state of Florida when the crime occurred.
Walker’s name has now been cleared.
“It was so much that had to be put into this,” he said. “So much money, resources and just effort they had to be put for them to actually see that I didn’t steal the car.”
He added, “It wasn’t a nightmare. This was like a reality.”
Walker said he plans to sue CarMax.
He believes employees did not do their due diligence to confirm the ID matched the person standing in front of them.
Channel 9 reached out to CarMax, and the company emailed the following response:
“We contacted Mr. Walker directly with the intention to better understand his experience and how we can best support. While we cannot share specific details, we want to emphasize that we take this situation seriously and are committed to a thoughtful and constructive path forward. We are sympathetic to what Mr. Walker experienced and will keep the lines of communication open.
“At CarMax, we prioritize keeping our customers’ information safe, protecting our property, and preventing theft. In August 2022, we reported the vehicle in question as stolen after the individual failed to return it following a test drive. Once CarMax reported the theft of the vehicle, the police took over the investigation. We still do not have possession of the stolen vehicle.
“To help prevent theft and identify fraud, we regularly train our associates on required procedures and best practices. Before allowing a customer to take a test drive, we leverage technology to validate the authenticity of their driver’s license. Our associates are also trained to compare the photo on the license with the individual present in the store.
“We introduced the option to test drive alone a while ago, and we continue to offer various test drive options, both with and without an associate, to empower our customers to shop on their terms.
“Before allowing a customer to take a test drive, we leverage technology to validate the authenticity of their driver’s license. Our associates are also trained to compare the photo on the license with the individual present in the store.”
The company didn’t say what went wrong in this case or whether they’ll cover Walker’s legal fees.
CarMax officials said they’re in touch with Walker writing: “While we cannot share specific details, we want to emphasize that we take this situation seriously and are committed to a thoughtful and constructive path forward.”
Channel 9 also reached out multiple times to Orlando police to ask why its investigation didn’t clear Walker sooner, but it never got back to us.
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