Emily Brown
A cruise ship passenger who was looking forward to celebrating Christmas ended up spending three days behind bars due to a mistake made by police.
Going on vacation is meant to help you return to normal life free of stress, but that idea went completely out of the window for passenger Jennifer Heath Box after she returned to Port Everglades on Christmas Eve in 2022.
Jennifer had just ended a weeklong cruise with her family and joined other passengers in scanning her ID as she got off the ship - but instead of heading on her way, she found herself surrounded by authorities who told her there was a warrant for her arrest for child endangerment.
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Jennifer was handcuffed and taken off the ship, with police ignoring her claims that they had the wrong person.
Broward Sheriff's Deputy Peter Peraza believed Jennifer was the same person pictured in a warrant held by the police, so Jennifer was strip searched and booked into jail.
Recalling the ordeal, Jennifer said: "Having to call my kids and tell them that I wasn't going to be there for Christmas and to hear that I hurt them because I wasn't there, as a mom that's the first thing that tears at you."
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During her three days behind bars, Jennifer allegedly had to listen to death metal music being blasted over the speakers and freezing air pumping to her cell.
"Being arrested, it was humiliating, degrading, the jail cells were unbelievable cold," Jennifer said. "I've never been in trouble with the law before."
The thing is, Jennifer shouldn't have been in trouble with the law this time, either.
The person the police were actually looking for was Jennifer Delcarmen Heath, a woman who was five inches shorter than Jennifer and had different color eyes, hair, and skin tone.
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The woman police were actually looking for also had a different home address, driver’s license number, social security number, and Harris County System Person Number.
She was also a mom to five young children, compared to Jennifer's three adult kids.
An attorney for Jennifer claimed her brother, who happens to be a police officer, urged Broward County and Harris County officials to compare her fingerprints to Heath's, but the request was denied.
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Thankfully, with the help of her brother's contacts, Jennifer's family was finally able to figure out that a Harris County employee had accidentally attached Jennifer's driver’s license photo to the warrant, instead of Heath's.
Jennifer was released from custody on December 27, 2022, with a deputy telling her simply: "It happens."
Now, she is suing Broward County and Peraza, claiming they violated her constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as her right to due process.
Looking back, Jennifer said she has 'spent so long just trying to get [her] life back together'.
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In a statement responding to the lawsuit, the Broward Sheriff's Office said it 'sympathizes with the difficult situation Ms. Jennifer Heath Box was in'.
However, it also said Peraza's actions were reviewed by BSO and 'no employee misconduct was found'.
The statement added: "On December 24, 2022, U. S. Customs and Border Patrol alerted a BSO deputy that a passenger exiting a cruise ship at Port Everglades had an outstanding warrant for her arrest on a charge of felony child endangerment.
"The BSO deputy followed the appropriate protocols in handling this matter, and after receiving confirmation of the Harris County warrant, arrested Ms. Box.
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"Had it not been for the arrest warrant filed by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Customs and Border Patrol would not have flagged Ms. Box, BSO would not have been notified and she would not have been arrested."
UNILAD has contacted the Broward Sheriff's Office for comment.