Home » News Stream » Local »

Loxley Woman Sues Baldwin County Law Enforcement

By Associated Press / The Press-Register

Jeanette Garrett of Loxley is suing several law enforcement officers in Baldwin County on drug charges that were later dropped. Loxley Woman Sues Baldwin County Law Enforcement

Published: Sun, April 13, 2008 - 4:05 pm

LOXLEY, Ala. (AP) - A Loxley woman has sued several law
enforcement officers involved in her arrest in Baldwin County on
drug charges that later were dropped.
Jeanette Garrett, 48, a stroke victim who has been confined to a
wheelchair since 2000, says she had expected police to clear up the
matter within minutes of charges being filed in 2004, but it took
18 months.
Her lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Mobile names former Daphne
Police Officer Ceonia Stanton Jr., Baldwin County Sheriff's Deputy
Jeff Dunn and Orange Beach Officer Pat Donnelly. The defendants
could not be reached for comment.
The suit seeks unspecified compensatory damages for lost Social
Security benefits and punitive damages.
Officials from the sheriff's office, which runs the drug task
force that investigated the case, declined comment.
District Attorney Judy Newcomb told the Press-Register that she
was not familiar with the details of Garrett's case. But the
prosecutor's office moved to dismiss the charges April 4th of last
year.
Circuit Judge Robert Wilters dismissed the charges but denied a
request by Garrett to expunge the arrest from the court record.
Garrett maintains that the drug case caused her financial losses
and humiliation, including having her name posted on an Internet
site as a wanted criminal.
Liz Campbell, a lawyer appointed to represent Garrett on the
criminal charges, said it took about 18 months for prosecutors to
turn over the videotape of the drug deal. When they did, Campbell
said, she convinced them and the judge that Garrett was not
involved.