VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) announced it's working to make amends with the woman who was wrongfully arrested earlier this month.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the VBSO said Sheriff Rocky Holcomb "personally reached out" to Jacqueline Smith, who was mistaken for another woman being sought for aggravated assault. Sheriff Holcomb said he has plans to meet with Smith face-to-face next week and discuss her concerns about the incident.
"In the name of transparency, that’s why Sheriff Holcomb looks forward to sitting down with Ms. Smith next week to resolve any issues she has with the VBSO," the post reads.
Further, the Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation into the incident, saying that "the VBSO investigates thoroughly any complaint brought to our attention and we take each one seriously."
Smith, who is a military spouse, told 13News Now the ordeal stemmed from a traffic stop on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. She claims base police linked her to an outstanding warrant out of Baltimore County, Maryland for a woman with the same name. Virginia Beach police later responded, with one of their officers carrying out the arrest.
Despite the same first and last names, Smith said she and the wanted woman have different middle names and birth years.
Although the Sheriff's Office was not the arresting agency, it oversees the jail where Smith was held.
“The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the security, care, and custody of everyone committed into the Virginia Beach Correctional Center," according to the post from VBSO. "We do not have any say or discretion over who is admitted into the jail. That is the purview of the arresting agency, the magistrate and/or the courts. If we receive a commitment order from the magistrate or a judge, we are required to detain that person."