JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is facing renewed questions over its use of artificial intelligence facial recognition technology after a second man said the system wrongly identified him as a suspect, leading to three months behind bars.
Only on Action News Jax, Jalil Richardson, a Charlotte, North Carolina father of 10, said he was extradited to Jacksonville and spent nearly three months in jail for a car theft investigators later determined he did not commit.
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“It’s overwhelming and it’s devastating and it’s outrageous,” Richardson told Action News Jax.
According to a Jacksonville police report, investigators used Automated Facial Recognition, or AFR, to compare surveillance footage from a Publix parking lot theft case to Richardson’s photo.
Jasmine Jackson, Richardson’s wife, said officers told them the software identified her husband as an “85% match.”
“He said, ‘Jalil came back as close as 85% and that’s the reason why he charged Jalil with the crime,’” Jackson said.
The investigation began April 2, 2025, when a victim told JSO he unknowingly purchased a stolen car from a man he met at a Publix on Baymeadows Road. Police later showed the victim a photo lineup, where he identified Richardson as the suspect.
But timecards later proved Richardson was at work in North Carolina when the alleged crime happened nearly 400 miles away in Jacksonville.
“None of the people that she had even came close to looking like my husband,” Jackson said.
Richardson said he first learned about the warrant after calling police to his home in Charlotte for an unrelated disturbance.
“When they arrived, they informed me they had a warrant for me out in Jacksonville and I was incarcerated for 33 days in Mecklenburg County,” Richardson said.
“They extradited me to Florida after 33 days in Mecklenburg County and then I spent the rest of the month in Jacksonville, which was another 50 days,” he said.
Court records show prosecutors dropped the case Wednesday.
Charges were dismissed, including dealing in stolen property, grand theft, unlawful possession of motor vehicle with vehicle identification number removed, possession of fraudulent title, and fraudulent use of fictitious personal identification information.
Criminal defense attorney Michelle Suskauer, who is not involved in the case, said the technology can create serious risks when paired with poor-quality surveillance images.
“There are so many levels of error here,” Suskauer said. “It’s pretty terrifying when someone’s life can be ruined as a result of the technology used in this case.”
Action News Jax first reported concerns surrounding JSO’s facial recognition technology in July 2025 after a Lee County man was wrongfully arrested in a separate case.
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In that investigation, Jacksonville Beach police worked with JSO and identified Robert Dillon as a 93% match to a suspect accused of attempting to lure a 12-year-old child in Jacksonville Beach in 2023. That case was ultimately dropped.
Now, Richardson’s family said the fallout from his arrest has devastated their lives.
“The case is just dismissed, but we’re homeless,” Jackson said. “He’s lost his job. He has health issues. Our kids are scattered in different houses. We lost our car. We lost everything because my husband lost his income.”
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Action News Jax asked both JSO and the State Attorney’s Office whether there have been other cases dismissed because of inaccurate facial recognition matches and what percentage threshold investigators use to determine a reliable match.
We received the following statement from JSO on Monday, June 1:
“The investigating patrol officer used facial recognition software as one of several investigative tools in this case. The technology was used to help develop a possible suspect from surveillance footage.
“Following that step, the victim identified Mr. Richardson in a photographic lineup.
“At a separate time, officers presented a photographic lineup to the victim’s brother, who was present during the transaction. He also identified Mr. Richardson as the perpetrator.
“Based on those identifications and other evidence gathered during the investigation, officers obtained an arrest warrant for Mr. Richardson. The judge who signed that warrant found there to be probable cause for Mr. Richardson‘s arrest. Subsequently, there was an adversarial probable cause hearing. After a full hearing, in which Mr. Richardson was present and represented by counsel, a second judge determined that there was probable cause for Mr. Richardson’s arrest. During that adversarial hearing, the victim again identified Mr. Richardson as the perpetrator of these crimes.
“The case was subsequently reviewed by the State Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors filed charges against Mr. Richardson but later entered a nolle prosequi.
“Facial recognition technology is used as one tool among many available to investigators. In this case, it was one tool, but certainly not the only tool, which lent to the probable cause determination that Mr. Richardson was the perpetrator of these crimes.”
Action News Jax is still waiting to hear back from the State Attorney’s Office.
For now, the family said they are staying with friends while trying to rebuild their lives.
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