New York jury clears police officer in false arrest case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York jury has cleared a city police officer of wrongdoing in a case involving a woman who accused him of harassing and falsely arresting her, according to court documents filed on Thursday.

The woman, Reisha Simpson, was arrested in June 2011 by officer Kenson Nelson who said she had tried to board a city bus without paying. She later filed a lawsuit against Nelson in federal court.

The jury cleared Nelson on Wednesday, after finding he was justified in believing Simpson had been attempting to evade paying bus fare at the time of her arrest, court documents said.

“We are pleased with this verdict," the city's Law Department, which represented Nelson, said in a statement.

Simpson's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Simpson had been waiting to board a bus in the borough of the Bronx when the driver told passengers to use the back door due to the malfunction of a mechanical lift at the front door, according to her lawsuit.

As Simpson waited, Nelson approached her and asked her name, saying she was "very pretty," court papers said. She gave her first name but declined to give her last name, allegedly prompting Nelson to become aggressive.

She was ordered off the bus, handcuffed and arrested on charges of theft of services but the charges against her were later dropped, the court papers said.

(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Tom Brown)

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