A Florida woman has initiated a federal lawsuit against the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) following a wrongful arrest incident.

In December 2022, Lesly Canales, a resident of Florida, was traveling on Interstate 95 when deputies from BCSO pulled her over for a traffic stop. During this stop, officers discovered a bag of instant coffee in her vehicle. The lawsuit claims that deputies also identified an open alcohol container, a small quantity of marijuana, and an uncorked bottle of alcohol. Additionally, they accused Canales of driving with an expired license.

Using a field-testing kit, the deputies tested the instant coffee, which reportedly yielded a false positive for heroin, the lawsuit alleges.

Subsequently, Canales was arrested and faced charges that included minor driving violations, misdemeanors, and heroin trafficking. She was detained for a month, missing her child’s first Christmas while incarcerated.

The lawsuit highlights that BCSO body cameras did not capture the incident, and there was no documentation of the false positive test result.

Later, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) laboratory confirmed that the substance did not contain heroin. Despite these findings, and a review of the case by a former BCSO deputy twice in 2023, Canales’ charges were not dismissed until August 2024.

Canales is seeking a trial and compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, travel expenses and other damages.

You can read the full lawsuit below: