Wilmington residents consider legal action after arrest warrant mistake

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Three Wilmington residents are considering taking legal action after law enforcement officers tried to serve them warrants in February.

Wilmington police officials have already admitted an error was made during an attempt to serve a warrant at the Willow Pond apartment complex in February.

The tenants say they have been in negotiations with the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, but no agreement has been reached.

They are now in the process of filing an official complaint about the mistake.

"An apology's not good enough. That's child's play. We're adults. You broke into my house. You kidnapped me, took me from my room, put me in my living room in handcuffs," explained Jasmine Frye, one of the tenants.

Frye and her friends have retained Katy Parker, an attorney for Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, to handle their case.

In an interview Tuesday, Parker spoke about law enforcement's handling of the situation.

"I get the impression that they are not taking the incident seriously enough. I think the important thing is that these individuals- they matter and they need to be treated like they matter just like any of us should be treated," Parker explained.

The tenants have also reached out to civil rights activist Vance Williams, the Executive Director of Advance Youth Outreach, for assistance in the matter.

"We understand that this was a clear invasion of privacy and also they inflicted terror on innocent people," said Williams.

Frye and her friends explained that they are still trying to deal with injuries sustained during the incident.

Medical records show Frye sustained a hand contusion and her roommate, Ronnie Jackson, suffered a damaged ligament in his wrist. Both said they received the injuries when deputies forcibly detained them.

"What's supposed to happen to them?" questioned Jackson about the deputies. "They need to ask themselves that question. What would you want to happen to somebody that kicked in your house?"

Lt. Brewer with the sheriff's office said the agency could not comment on any potential lawsuits or open investigations.

Calls to the WPD for comment were not immediately returned.

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