Cobb County will have to pay a women $100,000 after police arrested her for swearing.
Amy Barnes sued after she faced charges in 2012 for cursing and flipping off two officers.
Barnes said she was riding her bike on Austell Road to get butter for her family Easter Sunday when she saw the two officers. She said she cursed at them and flipped them off, and they came after her.
“They came after me like it was some action movie,” Barnes said.
Barnes is hearing impaired and said that’s the reason police gave her for putting her in solitary confinement for 23 hours on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. She called it torture.
“Having no clock, no person to speak to, empty walls. We need human contact,” she said.
Barnes’ lawyer said police officers violated her first amendment rights.
The attorney told Channel 2 Action News Barnes is happy with the outcome.
“To me it was a clear violation of her rights, it shouldn’t have even had to be a trial but a great vindication of the law for everybody,” said attorney Cynthia Counts.
A judge dismissed all the charges against Barnes in April 2013.
