TUSTIN : Woman Alleging Jail Was Revenge Is Freed

A woman who says police jailed her for a traffic warrant over Christmas as revenge for her wrongful death suit against the city was freed Tuesday, two days after she gave birth while in custody.

Lori De La Riva, who now has five children, was released after serving a 13-day sentence in the Orange County Jail. She was jailed Dec. 18 after she went to the police station to pay overdue parking tickets and an officer’s routine check of her driver’s license revealed two traffic warrants for her arrest.

De La Riva was unable to post $10,000 bail. She gave birth Sunday to a healthy 8-pound girl at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, her attorney said.

De La Riva and her family are suing the city on grounds that police officers prevented her husband, Joe, from re-entering the family’s burning apartment on May 11, 1990, in an attempt to save their 4-year-old son Jimmy, who burned to death. The suit is pending.

Police deny that De La Riva was jailed because of the suit and said she was treated the same as anyone with an arrest warrant issued because of outstanding traffic tickets.

Richard C. Gilbert, the family’s attorney, also charged Tuesday that Tustin officers harassed Lori De La Riva’s brother about the fire and the suit when they made a routine traffic stop late last spring while he was driving her car.

Gilbert said he has no doubt that the suit prompted De La Riva’s arrest.