LA MESA, Calif.—
A La Mesa woman who was mistakenly arrested for a series of crimes against senior citizens says she wants an apology from the San Diego District Attorney's Office and police.Deidria Nicholson told Fox 5 News that she didn't know what she was being arrested for Thursday, but she knew it was a serious situation.
"I can tell you that at that moment, I did not fully understand the charges against me," Nicholson said. "But when I got outside and saw the media, I thought, somebody out here made a big mistake."
Earlier this month, police released a video surveillance photo of a woman responsible for a string of burglaries against local elderly people. Investigators received a phone tip last Thursday that led them to Nicholson. Nicholson said her La Mesa apartment was surrounded by 10 to 14 police officers that afternoon. She said the officers gathered evidence, including receipts, post cards, and some of her hair products. She said she was taken away in handcuffs.
Nicholson's son, Ellis Twine II, said his mother's arrest was bewildering to everyone who knows her.
"I was just shocked, and everybody I told about was in shock, thinking if it was an April fool's joke or something," Twine said.
Nicholson spent five days in custody. She was arraigned Monday afternoon and pleaded not guilty. She adamantly maintained that she was a victim of mistaken identity. Just hours after the arraignment, prosecutors dropped all charges and Nicholson was released. Authorities said they had arrested the wrong person.
"This is why we're going with mistaken identity -- look at these pictures," Nicholson said. "That's when the judge looked at (the prosecutor) and clearly saw that these are two different people. Why the police couldn't do that is scary to me."
San Diego police admit that it appears to be a case of mistaken identity but said the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are now looking into the possibility that a woman, who was arrested by police in the Los Angeles area on Thursday along with her husband was responsible for the crimes that Nicholson was charged with, Detective Gary Hassen said. Cassandra Henry, 38, remains in jail in connection with a spree of thefts targeting senior citizens across the country.
Nicholson remained upbead despite her arrest. But she said she would like an apology from the District Attorney's Office or police.
"What I'm angry about with the police department in this particular instance is them not doing their homework," she said. "And then chastising me,when we got back to the police station: 'Well, you've been polite, and you don't have a record, but everybody says it's you.'"
Nicholson said that at the moment she has no plans to sue authorities, but she hasn't ruled it out.
"Anybody that knows me, knows that I will never hurt anyone or anybody. I don't steal. I have no record," she said. "Maybe if they want to make it up to me, they'll take care of that."
The most important thing, she said, is that her ordeal is over and she is glad to be home.
