One Jason Killinger had a bit of an unpleasant experience at the Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nevada.
That was all the way back in 2023, when the man was erroneously flagged by the casino’s cameras and facial recognition software as a “100% match” for someone who had previously been banned from the property.
After settling with the casino, he is now after the cop who booked him.
Long-Haul Driver Wrongfully Arrested in Reno Goes After Inexperienced Cop
The software glitch quickly became a personal nightmare for Killinger, who was a long-haul truck driver only making a brief stop. The casino’s system said that Killinger was, in fact, another person, never to be identified publicly, who had previously been found to sleep on the premises and therefore was restricted from visiting ever again.
Killinger was quickly apprehended by security staff without much explanation, only to find out later from a police officer, who was still new to the force, that he had violated “his” restraining order. Killinger explained that the officer and the casino must have confused him, and at the time produced several IDs that clearly established his identity, but the officer said that Killinger had most likely stolen someone’s documents, leaning into the casino’s report.
Killinger was taken away by the officer in handcuffs, resulting in shoulder pain and bruises, which are now serving as the basis of a lawsuit against R. Jager, the policeman who conducted the arrest and refused to believe Killinger.
Killinger was eventually cleared after he had his fingerprints taken and compared to a database, proving his identity. The Peppermill Casino has also chosen to settle with the man for an undisclosed amount of money.
Casino Already Chose to Settle for an Undisclosed Amount
In the latest lawsuit, Jager is accused of having falsified statements and evidence to make it appear that the IDs presented by the plaintiff were fraudulent. Killinger did produce several IDs that would have been enough to cast a ballot, for example, but were not enough to convince the police officer.
Killinger was even accused of having colluded with a DMV “friend” to help him falsify his driver’s license. Killinger has named other issues with Jager’s behavior, which he attributes to the officer’s realization that he had made a mistake and was attempting to make it look less bad for him.
Killinger is going after Jager specifically over claims that he was “uncooperative” and “using conflicting identities,” and alleges that Jager’s report never included the fact that Killinger was finally released after a fingerprint check.