It happened to one local man. His name is Chris Ryman, but it wasn't always.

Chris had another name which he doesn't want us to mention. He had to change his name when an identity thief turned his world upside down.

"It almost brings me to tears," he said, "because this whole thing has torn my family up. How many people have to change their identity? I mean, I didn't do anything wrong."

Chris carried a note from the Benton County Sheriff's Office in his wallet for years. The note basically explained how someone stole Chris' identity and committed crimes using his name.

When a Snohomish County deputy pulled Chris over in 2002, he told Chris there was a warrant out for his arrest. Chris showed him the letter and says he tried to explain he was not the fugitive. But Chris still went to jail and wound up staying there for two days.

"I know they deal with a lot of criminals that say 'I'm innocent,'" Chris said, "but there was a lot of circumstances here that warranted investigation."

For instance, Chris claims he has a copy of the NCIC report that is available to police, and that it clearly indicates he was not to be arrested. Somehow, he says, that was missed and because of that an innocent man went to jail.

The arrest cost Chris his job.

Through it all, he claims he initially only wanted Snohomish County to pay for his truck being impounded after he was arrested. That cost a little more than $300.

He claims the county refused, so now he's suing. For how much? That's what he wants a jury to decide. He wants them to decide if the county did something wrong; to decide how much a man's identity and time spent in jail might be worth.

Speaking of his identity, when he felt he had to change his name, he settled on his son's name - Christopher.

It's not often, he says, that a father is named after his son.