Cleared Woman Sues Tampa Police Over Media Statements

By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune Published: July 25, 2008 TAMPA - A former school aid who was cleared of charges she molested a 6-year-old is suing the Tampa Police Department, charging that officials violated her rights and cast her in a false light when speaking to the media about the case. Tamika Lane-Gardner's life was shattered two years ago after she was charged with felony sexual battery and charged with molesting the girl in a bathroom at Walton Academy for the Performance Arts, a Central Tampa charter school where Lane- Gardner worked as an office assistant. Lane-Gardner spent 10 days in jail – most of that in solitary confinement – after her arrest before she was able to post bail, according to a lawsuit filed in Hillsborough Circuit Court last week and transferred to federal court this week. Charges... [read full story]