VIDEO: Lowndes County Sheriff & Detectives Deny Claims In Civil Lawsuit Against Them

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge, along with detectives, Tony Cooper and Ryan Rickert, have officially denied claims made in a civil lawsuit against them.

Paul Vega is suing the trio for false arrest in connection with the murder of Manuel Vasquez.

Vega claims he was arrested for murder charges, which were later dropped, because he went to the FBI about Vasquez’s murder after he felt Lowndes County was not taking the disappearance seriously.

Court records show Arledge, Cooper, and Rickert denying that claim and based the initial arrest on evidence at the time.

They also say they are protected by sovereign immunity, which prevents lawsuits against public officials working in their official capacity.