Can I press charges on a detective for false arrest and slander?
Question Details: I was falsely arrested for stealing a prescription pad from my doctor, however, no pad was ever found and my doctor never reported one missing. The detective took it upon herself to assume I did and I lost my home and everything while incarcerated and waiting for trial. Can I press charges on the detective and sue the department?
Pressing charges and attempting to sue the officer will be difficult, especially if the officer had some form of probable cause to believe that a crime had been committed when the detective arrested you. If anything you may have a civil claim for false imprisonment, but even here you would have to show that the detective/police acted unreasonably and detained you against your will. Again, this is difficult to prove if probable cause existed to believe that you had stolen the prescription pad.
