A former Atlantic Beach police chief filed a lawsuit against the City of Conway, claiming he lost his job as a result of his arrest in 2017.
Former Atlantic Beach Police Chief Timothy Taylor filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, according to the lawsuit. There are six causes of action in the lawsuit including false imprisonment, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and invasion of privacy/portraying plaintiff in a false light.
Taylor was arrested in September 2017 by officers/employees of the City of Conway for “unlawful neglect of a child and criminal domestic violence first offense,” the lawsuit claims. In November 2017, a magistrate court “issued an order of dismissal dismissing all charges for lack of probable cause.”
“That the wrongful arrest of the Plaintiff resulted in him being taken to the Detention Center and further resulted in him losing his job as Police Chief of Atlantic Beach,” the lawsuit also claims. “That as a direct and proximate result, Plaintiff was detained, lost his job as Atlantic Beach Police Chief, had to hire an attorney and pay attorney’s fees, was humiliated, did suffer mental anguish, emotional distress, unlawful confinement and had damage to his reputation including his career as a police officer.”
The lawsuit further claims the following:
- That Taylor was falsely imprisoned because the City of Conway “had no probable cause to detain the Plaintiff since the arrest was invalid and the case was dismissed for lack of probable cause.”
- “That Plaintiff’s reputation has been slandered and the accusations are false and baseless.”
- “That Plaintiff has been damaged including severe emotional distress, humiliation, degradation, upsetedness and psychological distress to include worry and concern as a result of Plaintiff’s wrongful incarceration/false arrest.”
- “That the officers, agents and/or employees of the Defendant had knowledge of or acted in a reckless disregard by charging Plaintiff without probable cause which was then publicized and thus the Plaintiff was portrayed in a false light.”
Taylor is asking for “actual damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and the costs” relating to the causes of action in the lawsuit.
The full lawsuit against the City of Conway can be read here.
Taylor also filed a lawsuit against the Town of Atlantic Beach in February for defamation and libel.
That full lawsuit can be read here.