A man who was wrongly arrested has filed a federal lawsuit against White County and former White County Sheriff Oddie Shoupe.

The problem started one year ago when 51-year-old Ronnie D. Richardson reported to serve as a member of a grand jury. Richardson has a similar name as a suspect facing a meth charge.

After hearing a few cases, Richardson was approached by a White County deputy who asked him his name and then asked him to leave the room.

The grand jury he was serving on then indicted him on four felony counts of manufacturing and selling meth. Richardson repeatedly told officers they were arresting the wrong man. Richardson’s attorney later asked prosecutors to look at a undercover video of the drug buy. When the detectives compared the video with the mug shot of Richardson, they knew they had the wrong man. The charges were dismissed against Richardson.

The lawsuit states the White County deputies did not take any actions to confirm the identity of the suspect to ensure the correct person was being arrested after the indictment. The lawsuit also states Richardson suffered mentally and emotionally after his wrongful arrest.