A Pennsylvania mother and her teenage son have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Williamsport and its police department, alleging false arrest and imprisonment after the teen was wrongly identified in a shooting investigation and detained for 29 days.
The lawsuit, filed by Mekhi Johnson and his mother Amber Garrity on July 31, claims that Williamsport Police Bureau Agent Benjamin Hitesman ignored clear evidence proving the 17-year-old’s innocence and failed to alert prosecutors — actions that a county judge later described as “egregious” and damaging to public trust in law enforcement.
Arrest Based on a Four-Second Video
The case stems from a July 22, 2024, incident in which police responded to reports of gunfire near a park in South Williamsport. Surveillance footage from nearby buildings showed two masked individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts and jeans running from the area after a single gunshot was heard.
According to the complaint, Agent Hitesman identified Johnson as one of the masked figures — based solely on a brief video segment showing a person in a cream-colored sweatshirt with part of their nose and hairline visible. Hitesman wrote in a search warrant that he recognized the teen from the video, saying he matched the hairstyle.
The following day, police broke down the door of Johnson’s home, took him into custody, and found a .380 caliber handgun with its serial number removed inside a pillowcase. No clothing matching the suspects in the video was found.
Johnson was charged with aggravated assault and multiple firearm offenses and placed in a juvenile detention facility.
Officers Knew Another Teen Was the Real Suspect
Within days of the arrest, probation officers familiar with both Johnson and another juvenile — identified in court records as J.B. — informed Hitesman that the person in the video was actually J.B., not Johnson. They even sent photos of the clothing recovered from J.B.’s home that matched the video evidence.
Despite this, the lawsuit alleges that Hitesman took no action for weeks, allowing Johnson to remain behind bars as court proceedings continued. When another officer sought a search warrant for J.B.’s home, Hitesman reportedly responded, “That will hurt my case.”
Judge Calls Conduct “Egregious”
On August 21, 2024, after Johnson’s attorney and prosecutors reviewed the evidence, Judge Ryan C. Gardner ordered Johnson’s immediate release. The next day, during a court hearing, Hitesman admitted he had failed to notify prosecutors or defense counsel that another suspect had been identified.
Judge Gardner sharply criticized the officer’s conduct, saying his actions “cast a dark cloud” over the police department and the justice system as a whole. The judge also ruled that the gun found in Johnson’s home could not be used as evidence, calling it “the fruit of the poisonous tree.”
All charges against Johnson were dismissed. He had spent 29 days in detention — including his 18th birthday.
Police Discipline and Federal Lawsuit
Following an internal investigation, the Williamsport Police Bureau demoted Hitesman from investigator to uniformed officer.
The federal lawsuit, which names the Williamsport Police Bureau, the city, and several officials, includes 11 counts — including false arrest, false imprisonment, unlawful search and seizure, malicious prosecution, and civil rights violations.
Johnson and his mother are seeking a jury trial and compensation for damages, including emotional distress and legal costs.
Lycoming County and its juvenile probation office were dismissed from the suit in October, after the federal judge found no evidence they were directly involved in the wrongful arrest. The city of Williamsport’s response to the lawsuit is due on November 18, 2025.
City officials and police representatives have not yet commented publicly on the case.
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