Rule 23.07 Misdemeanors or Felonies - Indictment or Information - Incorrect Name of Defendant

If someone gets charged with a crime and the court paperwork has the wrong name on it, that person can simply tell the court their correct name. Once they do, the court will fix the paperwork to show the right name instead of the wrong one.

But there's a catch. If the person doesn't speak up and give their correct name, the case can still move forward anyway. The wrong name on the paperwork doesn't cancel the charges or stop the case. In other words, a simple mistake with someone's name isn't a way to get out of facing the charges.

This rule basically exists so that small clerical errors, like a misspelled name or a mix-up, don't create legal loopholes. The focus stays on whether the person actually did what they're accused of, not on whether their name was written down perfectly.