Karen Langston’s life took a dramatic turn when she found herself behind bars due to an unfortunate series of events triggered by a simple typo and what she claims was reckless behavior by a law enforcement officer. On February 18, 2026, Langston filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Katelyn Faircloth, a detective with the Lawrenceville Police Department. The case highlights significant allegations of misconduct and misuse of power within the police department.
According to the complaint, the ordeal began in September 2024 when Langston received an unexpected $2,000 deposit into her business account via Zelle. Almost immediately, she started receiving text messages from an unknown sender demanding the return of the money. Believing it to be a scam, Langston contacted her bank, Bank of America, to report the issue and let them handle it. However, unbeknownst to her at that time, this was not a scam but rather an honest mistake by Jetta Rattigan who had mistyped while trying to pay a contractor.
Despite Langston’s responsible actions in reporting the incident to her bank and freezing the funds pending investigation, Detective Faircloth intervened by swearing out an arrest warrant for “theft by conversion,” which typically involves going back on an agreement regarding payment for goods or services. The complaint alleges that Faircloth knew there was no such agreement between Langston and Rattigan but proceeded with false accusations leading to Langston’s arrest on February 26, 2025.
Langston’s nightmare culminated in her being arrested in the middle of the night and jailed until she could post bond. It wasn’t until May 6, 2025, that the Gwinnett County District Attorney dismissed all charges against her. In her lawsuit filed under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988 citing violations of Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments rights—Langston accuses Faircloth of malicious prosecution and fabricating evidence to justify an arrest warrant without probable cause.
The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress caused by this incident as well as punitive damages against Detective Faircloth aimed at deterring similar conduct in future cases. Additionally, Langston requests reimbursement for legal costs incurred during this process along with any other relief deemed appropriate by court authorities.
Representing Karen Langston are attorneys Mark Begnaud (Georgia Bar No. 217641) and Michael J. Eshman (Georgia Bar No. 365497) from Eshman Begnaud LLC based out of Decatur GA., while presiding over proceedings is Judge TWT under Case ID: 1:26-cv-00946-TWT.
Source: 126cv00946_Karen_Langston_v_Katelyn_Faircloth_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Georgia.pdf
