Karen Armstrong is claiming false arrest and wrongful abusive prosecution.
The former gymnastics instructor was arrested in March 2010 on theft charges and acquitted on March 24 of this year in Floyd County Superior Court.
In the document sent to the city, county and recreation authority officials, Armstrong said there was no written policy that prohibited Armstrong from collecting money personally for uniforms and paying it out of her personal account.
The investigation began when Garland received a call from a parent who was concerned about giving money to Armstrong personally, Garland said in an interview in March.
Garland contacted the Rome Police Department, which began an investigation.
Armstrong eventually resigned, giving Garland $4,300 and information as to who had given the money. She was not taking any of that money for her personal use, she said, but to pay for the items for the young gymnasts.
“There wasn’t a dime that was not accounted for,” said Steve Lanier, Armstrong’s attorney, in March.
But that didn’t matter, Garland said, who also questioned if all the money was recovered.
“It’s not a case of whether or not she spent the money on leotards or warm-ups,” he said in a previous interview. “There was cash that never made it to the authority. There should have never been any parental involvement.”
Armstrong said she had the support of the parents, many who testified for her in her trial.
She is asking for damages as a result of her arrest of about $88,500 and an amount not less than $1 million for pain and suffering.
“The humiliation and embarrassment of being falsely accused forced me to stay in my home and not go out in public for months,” Armstrong said in the notice. “After years of successful coaching and never being accused of any wrong doing, my reputation and good name was ruined in both my personal and professional life.”
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