BECKLEY – A woman currently incarcerated at the Lakin Correctional Center in West Columbia alleges she was falsely accused of shoplifting.
Miranda Lynn Bowyer filed a complaint Oct. 26 in Raleigh Circuit Court against Dunham's Athleisure Corp., Richard Johnson, the city of Beckley and Neal J. Smith alleging malicious prosecution.
According to the complaint, Johnson contacted the Beckley Police Department on Oct. 9, 2016, to report a shoplifting incident at the Dunham's store in Beckley. The suit states Johnson identified the plaintiff as one of the suspects.
The plaintiff alleges she has never been in the store and that on the date of the alleged incident, she was at the Southern Regional Jail on previous misdemeanor charges. The charges related to the alleged Oct. 9 incident were later dismissed, the suit states.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, court costs and any further relief this court grants. She is represented by David E. Gilbert of Miranda Lynn Bowyer in Beckley. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Andrew Dimlich.
Raleigh Circuit Court case number 17-C-581