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Mom To Sue After Wet T-Shirt Leads To Arrest
WFTV ^ | August 4, 2010 | WFTV

Posted on 08/04/2010 4:51:50 PM PDT by mdittmar

TAVARES, Fla. -- A Lake County mother was arrested at a children’s splash park after her white t-shirt got wet. Now, she's suing the city of Tavares over her arrest. She told WFTV police took an embarrassing situation and turned it into discrimination.

A hot day in April at the Tavares splash park turned into Janet Lovett's own personal nightmare. She took her 7-year-old son to cool off, but before the day was done she found herself behind bars, facing an arrest record for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest without violence.

“I started shaking. I feel nervous. My son was inside park with husband. I was alone,” she said.

A park employee asked Lovett to leave, because the white t-shirt she was wearing had become wet and her padded bra was showing. She says she left, but outside the park gate a police officer approached her and asked her for ID and her name.

“Very scared,” she said. “I've never been arrested before."

The police report indicates Lovett didn't give her name fast enough. The mom says she was scared and wanted to know why she was getting arrested.

Lovett’s attorney, Howard Marks, is demanding those same answers from the city. He says the police had no legal right to ask Lovett for ID, because no crime had been committed.

‘If they were wearing a bra, it's not illegal in the state of Florida. It's not indecent exposure. It's not a crime,” Marks said.

Marks intends to sue the city for violation of civil rights, false arrest and malicious prosecution. He thinks there was more to her arrest that day than the outfit that was deemed inappropriate.

“Either the police were so lacking in training and so incompetent to the law or trying to ID someone who was a potential illegal alien,” Marks said.

Lovett is a U.S. citizen.

The city of Tavares said it does not comment on pending litigation. The police chief told WFTV his officers operated within policy that day


TOPICS: Local News
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To: rfreedom4u

Seen two,ya seen ‘em all.


21 posted on 08/04/2010 5:04:38 PM PDT by mdittmar (i)
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To: mdittmar

Law enforcement in Florida, what a bunch of boobs!


22 posted on 08/04/2010 5:05:06 PM PDT by drew
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To: mdittmar

TTIWWP


23 posted on 08/04/2010 5:05:06 PM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
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To: pnh102
"Glad to see the cops are once again going after dangerous criminals. "

When we upheld higher standards of behavior, there are fewer criminals as well. Giuliani has drastically reduced crime in the NYC by going after smaller wrongs.

24 posted on 08/04/2010 5:05:28 PM PDT by TopQuark
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To: mdittmar
She told WFTV police took an embarrassing situation and turned it into discrimination.
Is there no end to this race card cr@p? Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ....
25 posted on 08/04/2010 5:05:49 PM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: mdittmar

Was the arresting officer male or female? Did they pat her down?


26 posted on 08/04/2010 5:06:36 PM PDT by Conservative9
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To: IamConservative
Suing Police because they asked you for your I.D. is the story!

Coming to AZ. soon.

27 posted on 08/04/2010 5:07:12 PM PDT by mdittmar (i)
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To: OldDeckHand

Can they arrest you for “failing to provide your name fast enough”?


28 posted on 08/04/2010 5:07:26 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: mdittmar

Resisting arrest without violence???

What in the hell is that? Sounds like a failure to grovel fast enough.


29 posted on 08/04/2010 5:08:20 PM PDT by SampleMan (If all of the people currently oppressed shared a common geography, bullets would already be flying.)
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To: TopQuark
"Giuliani has drastically reduced crime in the NYC by going after smaller wrongs."

ROTFLMAO

30 posted on 08/04/2010 5:08:30 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: mdittmar

Glad to see that law enforcement is all over a perfectly hamrless woman splashing in a pool with her child.

God forbid that they actually clamp down on the army of vicious, thieving, disease-ridden vermin streaming across our nation’s borders.


31 posted on 08/04/2010 5:08:45 PM PDT by Bon mots ("Anything you say, can and will be construed as racist...")
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To: mdittmar

I’m still studying that idea. I’ll let you know my conclusions in a few years! ;-P


32 posted on 08/04/2010 5:08:55 PM PDT by MortMan (Obama's response to the Gulf oil spill: a four-putt.)
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To: mdittmar
.... her padded bra was showing.

She should sue for "falsie arrest".

33 posted on 08/04/2010 5:10:03 PM PDT by reg45
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To: IamConservative
One of those “there’s more to the story” stories IMO.

That used to be my outlook, but unfortunately the police have used up all of their "benefit of the doubt" chips with me.

34 posted on 08/04/2010 5:10:54 PM PDT by SampleMan (If all of the people currently oppressed shared a common geography, bullets would already be flying.)
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To: driftdiver
Only because all the sickies from up north move down here.

Oh, yeah, that explains it. Just like the guys in the movie deliverance, eh? All "yankees," weren't they?

It's a sick place, Florida.

35 posted on 08/04/2010 5:11:38 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Gawd I love being an American.)
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To: driftdiver
"Can they arrest you for “failing to provide your name fast enough”?"

Remember, that's her attorney's characterization of the incident. But, Hiibel clearly held that the police can effect arrest of an individual if they refuse to identify themselves. I don't necessarily like the law, but that's the law.

The lawyer is also plainly wrong about the latitude the police have just to ask someone for ID - the Court has given LE wide birth in this regard. Again - I don't write the laws or always agree with them, but I understand them.

36 posted on 08/04/2010 5:12:43 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
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To: Joe 6-pack
ANd the relevance of your laughter is... what exactly?
You are apparently easily entertained.
37 posted on 08/04/2010 5:12:48 PM PDT by TopQuark
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To: mdittmar

Are there any good cops left?
.


38 posted on 08/04/2010 5:13:01 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Obamacare is America's kristallnacht !!)
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To: mdittmar
OK,, I'll say it,, this thread is worthless w/o Photo's!

Jury is still out!!

39 posted on 08/04/2010 5:13:16 PM PDT by MrPiper
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To: editor-surveyor
"Are there any good cops left?"

I'd settle for just a bad smart cop. Everyday, it seems to get a little worse, and it doesn't help when we have conservative justices expanding their (the police) power.

40 posted on 08/04/2010 5:14:46 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
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