Woman Says Police Jailed Her in Revenge

A woman whose allegations of sexual exploitation by South Pasadena police officers set the city in turmoil last year has leveled new charges in a $500,000 claim alleging that vengeful officers improperly held her in jail earlier this year.

Theresa Goldston initially filed a claim last summer, saying that she had been involved with seven officers, including allegedly having on-duty sex with two who later left the department. It led to the retirement of South Pasadena’s police chief and months of upheaval in city. That claim was settled late last year by South Pasadena for $18,000.

Goldston’s attorney said her latest filing was mailed to the defendants late Monday. Police and city officials said Tuesday that they had not yet received the claim.

The latest claim stems from Goldston’s arrest by South Pasadena police Feb. 21 on an outstanding warrant for driving with a suspended license. She was taken to the Pasadena jail and held until a midday court appearance, police said.

Goldston pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and was sentenced to serve four consecutive weekends at the Sybil Brand Institute for Women, police said. But the claim alleges that someone accessed the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s computer system and added a fictitious charge of drunk driving to Goldston’s record.

Goldston was held overnight at Sybil Brand and released the next day after the error was discovered.

South Pasadena and Pasadena police officials acknowledge that Goldston was improperly held overnight, and a sheriff’s investigation was underway to determine how the drunk driving charge was added to her record.

The claim names the police departments and cities of South Pasadena and Pasadena, Los Angeles County and the Sheriff’s Department, as well as the South Pasadena officers who took Goldston into custody.

“We believe it was kind of a retaliatory action in an on-going campaign to harass her,” said Goldston’s attorney,Linda Sanchez.

In an interview last week, South Pasadena Police Capt. Mike Ward said it appears that someone other than South Pasadena police made the change, adding that officers behaved properly in arresting Goldston because of the outstanding warrant.