Wrongfully Arrested Florida Teen Settles Lawsuit for $50K

A teenage boy wrongfully arrested in northeast Florida for a sex crime has settled a legal claim for $50,000.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Cody L. Williams in 2013 after mistaking him for another teen with the same name who attended the same high school.

Williams spent a month in jail before authorities arrested the actual suspect, Cody R. Williams, who was charged with sexual battery of someone younger than 12.

The Florida Times-Union reports that the settlement is the second in four months for wrongful arrests by the sheriff’s office. In August, it settled with Ashley Chiasson for $67,000 after she was wrongfully arrested twice.

Five officers were suspended in the cases, and the office says it has new policies for verifying suspects’ identities.