FAIRVIEW, Tenn. – A man said a police officer with a grudge arrested him for shoplifting even though he didn’t steal a thing. According to a complaint, a Hickman County man was wrongfully arrested for shoplifting at the Walmart in Fairview.
Staley Forsythe said he was targeted by his adopted son’s biological father who happens to be a Fairview Police Officer.
Forsythe’s attorney claims Dutton falsely identified Forsythe as the man that stole $117.98 worth of stuff from Walmart.
Charges against Forsythe were dropped when surveillance video from a local restaurant revealed he couldn’t have been at Walmart at the time of the crime.
Forsythe is suing Officer Dutton, the City of Fairview, Walmart, and a Walmart loss prevention employee.
Forsythe is seeking damages for malicious prosecution, abuse of power, defamation, false arrest, false imprisonment, and civil rights violations.
They asked for $125,000 in compensatory damages and $200,000 in punitive damages.
His attorney is requesting a jury trial for the case.