A Detroit man is taking a city sergeant and the City of Detroit to federal court, claiming she cooked up stalking complaints that landed him in jail for more than three days. In a new civil‑rights lawsuit, he says Sgt. Shamar Woods‑Carey abused her position, wrecked his routine, and pushed him into counseling. The suit asks a federal judge for money damages and a court order requiring changes to how the department trains and supervises its officers.
What the complaint alleges
According to the lawsuit, Woods‑Carey repeatedly filed police reports and personal‑protection paperwork after a two‑month relationship ended, sometimes using both her maiden and married names and not making clear that she was the one complaining, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. The plaintiff told Local 4 he only learned any of this existed during a 2024 traffic stop, when he was suddenly facing aggravated‑stalking and habitual‑fourth‑offender charges and wound up jailed for more than three days. His attorney, Cameron Bell, told the station there were multiple documents tied to the same officer. “There were about five or maybe six reports that were generated by her where she was using her maiden name and her married name as aliases,” Bell said.
Federal filing and docket
The lawsuit was filed last Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The federal docket lists the case as Wager v. Detroit, No. 2:2026cv11087, and identifies the plaintiff and his counsel, according to Justia Dockets & Filings. Online records show that summonses have been issued to the City of Detroit and to Sgt. Woods‑Carey and confirm that the complaint brings claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. From here, the case moves into the usual federal process of serving the defendants and setting a schedule.
State court history and prior charges
The federal complaint ties the arrest back to a state case, saying a preliminary examination took place on Aug. 7, 2024, in Detroit’s 36th District Court and that the charges were later dismissed without prejudice. According to the filing and as reported by ClickOnDetroit, the defense argued that the complaining witness and the reporting officer appeared to be the same person.
Public criminal calendars for the 36th District include entries listing WOODS‑CAREY, and the court posts its criminal dockets online at the 36th District Court. The complaint also says Woods‑Carey was charged in March 2025 with unauthorized disclosure of Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) data, pleaded guilty on May 12, 2025, and received a six‑month probation sentence.
Claims, damages and next steps
The lawsuit asserts Fourth Amendment malicious‑prosecution and unreasonable‑seizure claims, along with equal‑protection violations and allegations that the city failed to train and supervise properly. It seeks more than $5 million in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages, attorney fees, and an injunction requiring new policies, according to the complaint filed in federal court. Justia Dockets & Filings confirms the civil action was formally assigned in early April.
For context, Michigan law governing LEIN bars unauthorized disclosure of nonpublic law‑enforcement information and sets both misdemeanor and felony penalties, a framework the complaint cites in its factual background. The statutory language is available from the Michigan Legislature.
