BONNEAU, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina town known for its traffic arrests faces a federal lawsuit filed by a woman who says she was arrested and imprisoned even though a blood test showed she had no alcohol in her system.
The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that Wendy Iacobucci of Aiken filed a lawsuit in Charleston last month naming Bonneau Chief Franco Fuda, Mayor Robert Wrenn, the town and the police department as defendants.
The lawsuit says she lost her job and her car was repossessed because of the charges, which were filed Dec. 31, 2015, and dismissed a year ago. She was booked into the detention center, where she spent the night before being released on $8,835 bail.
Those named in the lawsuit or their attorneys either declined to comment or didn’t respond to requests from the newspaper.
The lawsuit said the mayor is being sued because he’s part of the plan to get money from traffic tickets for the town. In 2011, town clerk of court Liz Wrenn, the mayor’s wife, said in an interview with WIS-TV that, “the town survives off the ticket revenues its police department issues.”
Mayor Wrenn “made the policy decision to raise money for the Town of Bonneau” by enabling Fuda’s actions, the lawsuit said. “Fuda’s behavior was the greatest revenue stream for the town that desperately needed the money.”
Fuda pulled Iacobucci over for allegedly driving 12 miles over the 45 mph speed limit, according to the lawsuit.
She told Fuda she was a registered armed security officer working for a private contractor and had two guns in her vehicle. While searching the vehicle for the guns, the chief found a plastic container containing bottles of Iacobucci’s children’s prescription medicines, the lawsuit said.
He then administered a field sobriety test and arrested her on six charges: speeding, unlawful concealed weapon, driving under the influence and three narcotics violations.
Even though she registered 0.00 on the breath alcohol test given at the detention center, Fuda had her submit to a urine test, the lawsuit said.
Just over two months later, the State Law Enforcement Dvision issued a toxicology report confirming that there were no drugs or prescription medications in Iacobucci’s system when she was arrested.
But Fuda would not drop the charges, according to the lawsuit.
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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com
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