Police Settle $1M Lawsuit After 60+ Wrongfully Arrested: Report

CARTERSVILLE, GA — Bartow County and Cartersville Police have settled a nearly $1 million lawsuit for more than 60 wrongful arrests at a 2017 party.

Cartersville Police Department Sarah Ellington Sullivan sent Patch a statement that says, "the City of Cartersville will continue to follow case law relating to the Fourth Amendment."

According to WSB-TV, 65 young people, mostly Black, were arrested at a house party in Cartersville. A 21-year-old had rented a home on Airbnb to celebrate her birthday.

The events unfolded after Cartersville police were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 31, 2017 to a shots fired call at the home on Cain Drive. Officers arrived and smelled marijuana. They also saw several people leaving the property, the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force previously said.

Cartersville police secured the area while they investigated the report of gunshots. While carrying out its investigation, officers noticed "marijuana in plain view and initially recovered a semi-automatic handgun," the Task Force said.

Cartersville police notified the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force to aid in the investigation due to the large number of people inside the house, the discovery of the gun and "evidence of widespread drug usage," the Task Force added.

More than 60 people were inside the home, including four minors. Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force agents obtained a search warrant for the home and said two firearms (one reported stolen from Detroit), individually packaged marijuana and several smoking devices were seized throughout most of the first-floor rooms. Everyone at the house was arrested for possession of the marijuana less than an ounce, "which was in everyone's reach or control," the Drug Task Force previously said.

They were all transported to the Bartow County Jail. The age of those arrested range from 15-30 years old.

The NAACP argued that it was impossible for everyone at the party to be in possession of marijuana at less than an ounce, and raised questions about whether the Drug Task Force had obtained search warrants before entering the home. After the incident came to light, NAACP representatives met with local government and law enforcement officials to discuss the case and its impact on those involved.

The Bartow County District Attorney's Office later dropped charges for 64 out of the 65 people arrested. Bartow Judge Rosemary Greene said in 2018 that after reviewing the case files of the 65 people charged with possession of marijuana less than an ounce, the "evidence is insufficient to convict" the 64 people who were swept up in the incident. Greene said she would pursue charges against the one individual who was in possession of cocaine at the party.

Related: Charges Dismissed For 64 Arrested During Cartersville House Party