In December 2020, Jennifer Heath Box found herself wrongly arrested and jailed at the Broward County Jail in south Florida. She was mistakenly identified as Jennifer Delcarmen Heath, who had a warrant issued for endangering her children. Box, who was 48 at the time, had no minor children and was confused by the allegations. Despite the vast age and height discrepancies between the two women, Box was handcuffed and taken into custody. She spent three nights in jail before being released on December 27 without any charges.
Box’s ordeal began when she and her husband were disembarking from a Christmas cruise in 2020. Staff stopped her and informed her that security needed to meet with her. It was then revealed that the police had a warrant for her arrest from Harris County, Texas. Box was shocked to learn that the warrant was for endangering a child, as she had no children of her own. Despite her protests and the discrepancies in age and physical appearance, she was arrested and transported to the Broward County Jail.
During her time in jail, Box was strip searched, humiliated, and terrified while surrounded by violence in the adjoining men’s area. She was denied bond due to the extradition warrant from Harris County, leaving her with no immediate prospect of release. It took several days of bureaucratic hurdles and a complaint filed by Box before she was finally able to prove that she was not the correct person named in the warrant. Box was released on December 27 and reunited with her family, but the damage had been done.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office defended their actions in the case, shifting the blame to Harris County for issuing the warrant in the first place. They claimed that no employee misconduct was found in their internal investigation. However, Box and her attorneys at the Institute for Justice believe that the officers involved failed to do their due diligence in confirming her identity. They argue that despite ample opportunities to verify Box’s identity before her arrest, the deputies neglected to do so, leading to a wrongful detention.
Box’s lawsuit against the Broward Sheriff’s Office seeks an admission of violating her constitutional rights, as well as damages for the emotional distress and trauma she endured. Her goal is to see more checks and balances put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future. Box wants to hold accountable the individuals responsible for her wrongful arrest and make sure that no one else has to suffer the same injustices she faced. She believes that the system failed her and wants to see changes to ensure that innocent people are not unjustly detained due to mistaken identity.
