How can I get reimbursed for being wrongly arrested in California?
A few months ago a got stopped by the CHP for talking on my cell phone while driving. The cop who came to my window did not see that I had a Bluetooth device in my ear. As per their protocol he asked for my drivers license. I produced one for him and he ran my name for wants and warrants. He came back to me and told me my license was suspended, even though I knew it was not. He subsequently towed my vehicle and made me walk home. I contacted my lawyer who in turn contacted the DA by phone to let them know it was a mistake and that, indeed, my license was intact. The DA agreed via phone to not pursue this matter. Two weeks ago I got pulled over for going down a deadened street my GPS had directed me to. The cop ran my name and discovered I had a bench warrant for this traffic matter that the DA was not supposed to pursue. I was arrested on the bench warrant at that time and spent the next 18 hours in a jail cell before I could go to court. I plead not guilty and was assigned a public defender. He, at first tried to get me to waive my right to a speedy trial, which I declined, and then asked me to take some type of plea bargain. I declined that too. I spent the week in between court hearings gathering all the paperwork I would need to prove my innocence. I went to court yesterday and my public defender called ;ready for trial'. The judge told me my trial would be in 3 days. I was 100% ready to prove the court system wrong. I got a call form my public defender several ours later and he relayed the news to me that the DA had dismissed the charge. Most would be happy about this. I am not. I wanted to be vindicated by a jury of my peers,and I wanted them to see how corrupt of a system we live by.
So here is my question: This ordeal has cost me thousands of dollars. I had my civil liberties taken away while i sat innocent in jail. I wasted countless hours going to court and hunting down records to prove i was innocent. How do i go about getting compensated for all of this by the courts? How does an innocent person in this country today get compensated by the courts for their errors. If I had been guilty, I would have paid monetarily and perhaps with a greater loss of my freedom in jail. But I am Innocent. What do I do?