Legal Question in Personal Injury in Missouri

A Wal-Mart / Asset Protection employee called police to report that she had just observed an unknown female shoplifting from her store. I am said female. I did not steal anything. Apparently, I had already left the store with my purchases by the time the officer arrived to take the report. But, I soon after returned to the same Wal-Mart store having forgotten a few items I needed for dinner when I was there earlier. Shortly there after & to may grave humiliation I was publicly cuffed & stuffed for all to see in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The arresting officer didn't bother to search me or my husband or our vehicle for any stolen items or to look over my receipts. Off to jail I go!

Months pass, requiring many day long trips to court to sign my name & wait my turn (Among hundreds of others, nearly all of whom shared the same charge as me -Shoplifting From Wal-Mart- oddly...) to speak with the prosecutor. But alas, he would not throw it out on my say so & I declined to consider taking any plea he offered. Even though I could not afford to hire an attorney to represent me on this matter I pushed for a trial. It was only then that I was allowed access to the file the prosecutor had on my case. In the file I found a police report. In his report the officer states that this Asset Protection / Wal-Mart employee (& the reporting party) told him that I had shoplifted from Wal-Mart before. This was a completely false statement. Not only have I never stolen a thing in my life, but also there exists no such previous charge, warrant, arrest or prosecution on my record. This employee's baseless statement, was made to the officer having no facts in support of it, yet certainly led to my being arrested, etc.,

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