When 50-year-old Jennifer Heath Box was released, she says authorities told her, "it happens."
A woman is suing Florida police for mistakenly arresting her when she returned from a cruise to the Bahamas in 2022.
Upon arrival, 50-year-old Jennifer Heath Box was told a warrant was out for her arrest for endangering a child. Her family tried to explain that there must have been a mistake.
Authorities insisted that there had been no mistake.
Box was in jail in Fort Lauderdale for three days. She and her husband tried to explain that this was a case of mistaken identity.
"You feel hopeless, you feel broken, you feel humiliated," Box tells Inside Edition.
Authorities realized there was an error after determining the Jennifer Heath they were after for child endangerment was 23 years younger, five inches shorter and had brown eyes, Box's are blue.
"There were so many discrepancies," Box says.
Box tells Inside Edition she missed her son's deployment overseas with the Marines because she was behind bars.
"No matter what, I will never get that time back with my son," Box says.
Box is suing the Broward Sheriff's Office, claiming authorities "overlooked overwhelming evidence that they had the wrong person."
"There were so many red flags showing them that they had the wrong person," Jared McClain, Box's attorney, tells Inside Edition.
When Box was released, she says authorities told her, "it happens."
Broward Sheriff's Office says they had confirmation there was a warrant out for the woman's arrest, adding the deputy followed appropriate protocols. They also say they found no misconduct and the matter is now closed.
