Mentally Disabled Man Sues Over Arrest

Wednesday, Aug. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Daniel Reser charges Metro police and detective Todd Rosenburg with wrongful arrest and harassment in connection with Reser's April arrest.

The suit alleges that police don't have an adequate policy for dealing with mentally disabled suspects and claimed Reser suffered severe damage to his reputation and a loss of income as a result of his arrest.

Police Sgt. Greg McCurdy declined comment on the suit.

Reser was arrested and later indicted on charges of first-degree kidnapping, four counts of sexual assault on a minor and burglary.

The charges followed an April 14 incident in which a man entered a home through a sliding glass door and molested a young girl.

According to the lawsuit and police reports, a relative of the victim told police that Reser matched the description of the man.

Reser initially denied having anything to do with the assault,l but later confessed under lengthy police questioning.

Reser's attorneys said their client is mentally disabled and dropped out of special education after completing the eighth grade.

While Reser was jailed, a series of sexual assaults almost identical to the one he was charged with occurred in the Las Vegas area.

Police suspected the cases were related and later re-evaluated the case. Eight days later, charges were dropped against Reser.

Police have made no other arrests in the series of rapes.