Honk News (Mantua, OH) – A 29-year-old police officer from Ohio has filed a lawsuit against the local sheriff’s office, alleging that she was arrested and her child was taken into foster care after being accused of leaving her then-5-year-old unsupervised with a registered sex offender, despite a lack of evidence for the claims made against her.
An officer alleges that following the confiscation of her cellphone, investigators from the sheriff’s office accessed her private, explicit photos, which were subsequently shared within the office and possibly beyond.
Last week, Officer Miranda L. Brothers of the Mantua Police Department took legal action against the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, filing her complaint in the county court of common pleas and seeking punitive damages exceeding $150,000.
The lawsuit encompasses various claims, including accusations of malicious prosecution, breaches of constitutional rights, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and wrongful interference.
Brothers faced arrest in January 2024, facing a charge of endangering a child’s welfare, but the case was dismissed in July.
As per the allegations, on December 7, 2023, a minimum of two detectives were tasked with monitoring Brothers and her child as part of the inquiry into her parenting practices. Law enforcement officials were stationed outside a dining establishment in Mantua, located approximately 30 miles southeast of Cleveland. According to the complaint, both detectives later stated that the child had never experienced “any unsupervised contact with a registered sex offender.”
Before the operation on December 7, a third detective reportedly looked into the claims against Brother and testified under oath that they were baseless and incorrect.
On January 1, 2024, deputies reportedly conducted a traffic stop on Brothers, during which they allegedly took her child from her custody and confiscated her phone and the child’s tablet, according to the lawsuit, despite lacking evidence of a crime or any threat to the child’s safety. Legal accusations made the next day claimed that Brothers permitted a sex offender to have prolonged unsupervised time with her child. She faced immediate suspension from the police department while an investigation is underway.
The complaint asserts that it directly opposes the sworn statements made by the members of the Portage County Sheriff’s Office who witnessed Juvenile A on December 7, 2023.
Brothers asserts that a forensic examination of her phone and the child’s tablet revealed no signs of criminal activity, as confirmed by detectives during a motion hearing in April.
The complaint states, “The testimony at the April 15, 2024 Motion Hearing confirmed that no detective observed Juvenile A having unsupervised contact with a registered sex offender.” “In light of the evidence presented during the April 15, 2024 Motion Hearing, the State persisted in its efforts to bring criminal charges against Plaintiff Brothers.”
Also Read – Mother Gave Birth at Home Unexpectedly; Premature Baby Girl Saved by Responding Police Officer in Indiana
Brothers alleges that an unidentified sheriff’s detective circulated explicit images of her from her phone that had no connection to the case at hand.
During a conversation with the CBS station in Shaker Heights, attorney Eric Fink expressed that they were still attempting to understand the reasons behind the sheriff’s office initiating an investigation into Brothers. He elaborated on the events that resulted in her apprehension.
“She brought her child to the babysitter located at a restaurant in Mantua, where she was set to work.” Fink informed the station that her babysitter is a police dispatcher who is currently off-duty and has undergone a background check. “During her visit, the sheriff’s department assigned a few detectives to take photographs and investigate whether she had left her child with a registered sex offender rather than the police dispatcher who was acting as the babysitter.”
He also addressed the claims regarding the unauthorized sharing of personal images.
“Authorities conducted a thorough investigation and found no evidence of any misconduct on her mobile device or her child’s tablet,” Fink stated. “They did, however, come across several pictures that they circulated among themselves, which were unrelated to the case.”
Brothers are back on full-time duty following the dismissal of the charges against her.