Santonio Holmes, the Steelers' No. 1 draft choice, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct in the South Beach area of Miami Beach early yesterday morning, a charge his mother contends is a case of mistaken identity because she said her son is in Columbus, Ohio.

But, Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said it is no mistake. Holmes, a wide receiver from Ohio State and the 25th overall pick in the NFL draft, disrupted traffic and was verbally abusive to a police officer outside a South Beach hotel on Collins Avenue at 3:30 a.m.yesterday.

"We got a positive I.D.," Hernandez said.

Holmes was released from jail and did not have to post bail after signing a promissory note to appear in court when he is served a subpoena. Hernandez said police have to positively identify a person before they will release him on a promissory note. That is how they know the person they arrested was Holmes.

But Patricia Brown, Holmes' mother who lives in Belle Glade, Fla., said her son is in Columbus, where he is attending school, and has not been home since her May 5 birthday. Belle Glade is approximately two hours north of South Beach.

"That's news to me," Brown said when told of the arrest. "I talked to him yesterday. He's in Ohio."

Holmes did not return a message left on his cell phone.

Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said, "We don't have any comment on it because we don't have any information on it."

According to the police report, Holmes was observed walking in the middle of Collins Avenue in a trendy area of South Beach littered with outdoor bars and restaurants. When traffic became disrupted and came to a standstill, a police officer told Holmes to "get out of the street." According to the report, Holmes "said several offensive words" to the police officer and was arrested.

"He was verbally abusive with the police officer," Hernandez said.

Hernandez said Holmes did not appear drunk and was not cited for public intoxication. No date has been set for the hearing.

Holmes attended the Steelers' minicamp two weeks ago, but he is not allowed to take part in the coaching and voluntary workout sessions because of an NFL rule that prohibits underclassmen from joining their team until either he or his class graduates.