Virginia Silano, a paralegal, says a Trumbull officer did
not treat her properly and later arrested her wrongfully, hurting her
reputation and causing her legal fees.
A Trumbull woman is suing police over her Feb. 9, 2011, and
June 2010 arrests by Trumbull police.
The plaintiff, Virginia Silano, said both incidents were
reported on the Connecticut Judicial Branch Website and in the Trumbull Times,
damaging her reputation.
A police spokesman declined to comment on the suit.
Silano, of West Lake Road, a paralegal for more than 23
years, said in the suit that she reported a man looking into her windows on
Jan. 10, 2011.
Trumbull Officer Daniel Wheeler allegedly "presented
himself as unstable, annoyed and biased in that he began to roll his eyes and
shake his head as the plaintiff explained what had happened."
He also "made motions with his mouth to mock,
intimidate and discourage the plaintiff to continue her complaint."
Wheeler recorded the interview, according to the suit.
Silano, "as a result of ... extreme fear and
anxiety" caused by the underlying incident and the officer's alleged
actions, then told Wheeler she would shoot the man if he entered her home, the
suit states..
Silano added that she never told the man directly.
But the officer went to the man and repeated the statement,
and asked him to make a statement if he wanted to press charges, according to
Silano. The officer then applied for a warrant based on that statement and
arrested her for second-degree threatening.
The case went to trial before a judge and she was not
convicted. Silano, however, seeks more than $15,000 in damages for legal fees,
and because she was "embarrassed, humiliated and held up to scorn in the
legal industry," also hurting her chances for finding work.