Man Sues Cedar Park, Officer Over Mistaken Identity Arrest

CEDAR PARK, TX — A police officer and the city are being sued by an Austin man who was arrested in a case of mistaken identify, according to a published report.

The plaintiff, Nathan A. Cook of Austin, recently was arrested on a charge of felony theft of services as he was escorted out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in August 2017, the Austin American-Statesman reported, referencing the lawsuit. The suit names the City of Cedar Park and police detective Kristy Whitley as defendants, according to the report.

Some background: Police had accused a woman named Lynndsi Cook of stopping payments on the rental of a laser engraver and listed a Nathan Cook as her husband and co-signer on the rental application, according to the lawsuit cited in the report.

Problem is, the Nathan Cook that is suing says in his lawsuit, the accused Nathan Cook not only has a different middle name but home and business address, date of birth, telephone number and even physical description. “All of which a moderately competent police officer would have quickly discovered,” the lawsuit from the wrongly accused Nathan Cook reads.

The man is seeking a jury trial, and unspecified economic damages, damages for past and future mental anguish, and related court fees, according to the report.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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