Hotel Owners Sue for False Arrest
Two Aberdeen hoteliers demand $30,000 after being handcuffed in public for a bank robbery they did not commit.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Aberdeen—Michael Zeebeck and Sam Arsotf, former proprietors of the Mecca hotel and cafe in this city, have brought an action in the King county courts for $30,000 for alleged false arrest against the Burns International Detective Agency and the Bank of Elma, officers of which accused the two complainants. They maintain that they were falsely accused of robbing the Bank of Elma March 28 last, arrested and led before the public handcuffed like criminals, treated as if they were convicted prisoners and only released after being subjected to further humiliation.
“They maintain that they were falsely accused... and led before the public handcuffed like criminals.”
Private investigative agencies and their heavy-handed tactics have long been a source of legal and civic friction. This case highlights the high personal cost of 'guilt by accusation' before a trial ever occurs.
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