July 31, 2016
A New Jersey woman who was arrested after hosting an underage drinking party will sue a police department for posting details of her arrest on social media, according to a report.
Attorneys for Karen Gitelman filed a notice on July 21 that she intends to sue the Sparta Police Department for $500,000, the New Jersey Herald reports.
The notice alleges the family suffered distress and loss of money due to the police department's Facebook post about the incident.
Gitelman and her husband, Daniel, were arrested on April 23 at their home. According to authorities, officers were dispatched to the residence after receiving multiple 911 calls complaining about "acts of a criminal mischief."
A 15-year-old boy injured himself when he ran into a mailbox and the Gitelmans brought the boy back to their residence, a neighbor told police.
When officers arrived at the home, the Gitelmans initially told police that the boy was picked up by his mother. Later, the Gitelmans admitted that the boy was on their back porch. Medical personnel found the boy unconscious and bleeding from his nose.
The Gitelmans were eventually charged with hosting an underage drinking party, endangering the welfare of a child and obstructing the administration of law.
Two weeks later, Sparta police posted the details of the incident on Facebook.
The notice claims that the police lied about the events in the Facebook post.
Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller did not comment on the potential lawsuit, but told the New Jersey Herald, "Police are required by law to notify the community about basic arrest information within 48 hours of an arrest being made."
The Gitelmans entered a pre-trial intervention program on June 20. If they complete the program, all charges would be dropped a year later.
To read the full report, click here.
