Albany police have identified the "mystery man" who was rescued in July after falling down an embankment along the Willamette River.

Police say the man, who then had identified himself as Donnie Lee Owens, 52, is actually Delbert Fox, 55, an Albany transient who had been wanted on outstanding warrants for fourth-degree assault and failure to appear.

Cpl. Alan Lynn said officers confirmed Fox's identity using fingerprints and old jail pictures.

Fox had given Owens' name when police pulled him up after a tumble down the riverbank in July. He showed an Oregon identification card with Owens' name and knew Owens' Social Security number. At the time, he was cited under that name for having alcohol in the park.

Last week, the real Owens went from his home in Lyons to the Albany police station, saying he was not the man involved. Police decided tattoos and other physical differences proved him right.

Lynn said police told court officials to watch for a man calling himself Owens. On Friday afternoon, court clerk Mary Stankey notified officers a man with that name was in the lobby.

The man told Stankey he wanted to pay the citation fine, but gave a letter to the judge to explain his financial difficulties, hoping to get a reduction or a longer grace period.

Officers went to question the man. They brought a copy of a Democrat-Herald, which bore the picture of the man pulled from the bank that day and the story about police trying to determine his identity.

"One of the officers brought the paper down there and he admitted to the other name," Lynn said.

Lynn said Fox told officers he is friends with Owens and gave his name to avoid being picked up for the outstanding warrants he knew officers would find. He said he wanted to pay the fine himself to keep Owens out of trouble.

Police haven't yet confirmed the two men know each other, Lynn said. However, he said, Fox does have a new citation to pay for now: giving false information to a police officer.

"He's got a bunch of other fines now to deal with," he said.