A DeKalb County grandmother said Georgia deputies wrongfully arrested her after serving a warrant tied to alleged elder-abuse charges that attorneys now say named a different person with a similar name. 

Attorneys said 49-year-old Nickie Sledge, a Black woman, was taken into custody in front of her grandson on Dec. 21, 2024, even though the race of the person on the warrant with a similar name was white. Now Sledge is planning to sue for her false arrest.

Sledge’s lawyers told local outlets that deputies failed to adequately verify her identity before booking her on the warrant. Family members and community advocates raised alarms about the incident and how it unfolded on the family’s property.

Sledge still had to go before a judge, who saw the warrant and expressed immediate concern.

“He says it says on here family violence. He said, ‘Well, I can clearly see she ain’t related,’” Sledge said.

Sledge’s charges were dropped, but she’s scared this arrest has damaged her pristine record. “This is a record that won’t disappear,” Sledge said. “It’s gonna follow me the rest of my life.”

Civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, whom Sledge hired to represent her, said, “Let’s be clear. There was a full investigation, a signed warrant, one arrest, two strip searches at two different jails, multiple days in custody and a bond hearing, and no one bothered to notice that a 49-year-old Black grandmother from Georgia who’d never been in trouble with the law before wasn’t the same woman as a 43-year-old white suspect from Kentucky.” 

Civil rights advocates and local leaders flagged the case as a part of broader concerns about misidentification and policing practices. Sledge’s legal team said they are pursuing next steps and seeking accountability. The family is demanding transparency on how the mistake happened and what safeguards will be put into place to prevent errors like this moving forward. 

There are no reports on whether or not the correct person was arrested and Sledge’s suit has not yet been filed.