Woman files lawsuit for emotional distress, 'humiliation' against FHP after wrongful arrest

A 23-year-old woman who was wrongfully arrested in a deadly crash that killed three people on Interstate 4 has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Highway Patrol for compensatory damages. The complaint states Lindsey Isaacs is seeking damages for "emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation, reputational harm, loss of liberty, and all other actual damages suffered."Isaacs is seeking a trial by jury.The complaint names Sgt. Tiffany Jateff and Sgt. Joshua Buday and alleges they "fabricated evidence of vehicle damage, swore to false statements in an affidavit for an arrest warrant and at a bond/pre-trial detention hearing."Jateff was identified as the lead investigator in the case.The complaint also identifies the "actual driver" who caused the fatal crash in Volusia County as Alissa Montalvo, 47, of Deltona.Isaacs spent 13 days behind bars in April after her arrest in connection with the crash.The FHP accused Isaacs of being behind the wheel of a Dodge Durango that caused the crash on Interstate 4 near Mile Marker 108 in Volusia County on Oct. 4, 2025. The crash killed motorcyclist Joaquin Deno, Flagler County Deputy Administrator Jorge Salinas and his wife, Nancy Salinas.It was not until one month after Isaacs' arrest that all charges were dropped."Being incarcerated, falsely incarcerated, in jail, in G Block, was the worst 13 days in my life," Isaacs said.Her attorney, Patrick McGeehan, said his team used time-distance analysis to prove Isaacs could not have been at the crash scene when the collision occurred."In our investigation, we took that distance, the speed of travel, and we were able to determine that Ms. Isaacs was well past the accident scene when the accident occurred," McGeehan said.