Wrong Woman Arrested, Dispatcher Is Key

A woman mistakenly arrested on a warrant by Punta Gorda (Fla.) police officers last December has retained an attorney, and is claiming a dispatcher failed to properly confirm the warrant because of a joint relationship the women had with a man. So far, no lawsuit has been filed, but the attorney and Brandy Lowe are demanding answers. After Lowe was detained last year, officers requested a records check. Dispatcher Cindy Proud performed that check and determined there was a outside agency warrant for a person with Lowe’s name. According to a police investigation, Proud was laughing on a logging tape after hearing Lowe’s name on the radio. Officers arrested Lowe on the warrant, despite her explanation that she did not have a warrant. According to Lowe’s attorney, Proud should have requested a photo of the correct Lowe linked to the warrant in order to confirm the identify of the wanted person. After four days in jail, Lowe’s mother came up with her own photo of the woman actually linked to the warrant, and her daughter was released. During a police investigation, Proud admitted laughing and attributed it to believing in “Karma.” The report doesn’t state if Proud was disciplined for the incident. Read more about the situation here and watch a video after the break.