BRATTLEBORO, VT (MyKeeneNow) A Vermont woman who says she was mistakenly arrested and jailed in connection with a fatal drug overdose is suing the Brattleboro police sergeant who pursued the case, alleging that basic verification steps were skipped before a warrant was issued in her name.

Alicia Kelley of North Troy, VT filed suit in federal court against Brattleboro Police Lieutenant Greg Eaton, claiming he is responsible for her wrongful arrest in 2022 stemming from an investigation into a 2018 overdose death. The case dates back to the heroin-related death of 21-year-old Brianna Radcliffe, who collapsed in the bathroom of a Dunkin’ Donuts on Putney Road in Brattleboro and later died at a hospital.

According to the complaint filed June 30 in U.S. District Court, Eaton—then a police sergeant—was leading the investigation into Radcliffe’s death when he identified a woman named Alicia M. Kelley as the suspected drug dealer. Security video footage reportedly showed the exchange, and a Dunkin’ Donuts manager who had previously supervised the suspect allegedly confirmed her identity.

Nearly a year later, Eaton applied for an arrest warrant. But instead of using the correct personal information for the suspect—believed to have fled the state—he allegedly entered the date of birth for a different Alicia Kelley, the plaintiff in the case, who lived in northern Vermont and had no connection to the incident.

The lawsuit states that the officer had access to official photos and identification data from various sources, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, corrections records, and social media, but failed to compare images or confirm key identifying details.

As a result, three years after the warrant was issued, deputies from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the plaintiff’s home, where she lived with her parents and two children. Pregnant at the time, she was arrested in front of her family and taken to the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport, VT, where she was held overnight on $25,000 bail.

The arrest was also made public on social media by law enforcement, the complaint alleges, causing further distress and embarrassment. After her arraignment the following day, her bail was reduced and later posted by a bondsman. That same day, after the error came to light, the state moved to vacate all bail conditions and correct the warrant with the proper suspect’s information.

The complaint accuses Eaton of violating the plaintiff’s Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by initiating an arrest without verifying probable cause or identity, despite clear legal standards requiring officers to confirm identifying information when seeking an arrest warrant.

Eaton is being sued in his personal capacity. The Town of Brattleboro and its police department are not named as defendants in the suit. The case seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as legal costs and attorney’s fees.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle is assigned to oversee the case. Eaton, now a lieutenant in charge of Brattleboro’s criminal investigations unit, is being represented by attorney Joseph McNeil.