A federal appeals court ruled that St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker cannot be sued for jailing a Minnesota teenager for more than two years on false charges, finding she acted “under color of federal law.” The case stems from a fabricated sex-trafficking investigation Weyker led while serving on a federal task force.
In 2011, 16-year-old Hamdi Mohamud was arrested after Weyker falsely claimed she tried to intimidate a witness tied to an alleged Somali trafficking ring — a ring that never existed. Mohamud spent 25 months in jail before charges were dropped. Although a lower court initially ruled Weyker’s actions violated the Fourth Amendment, the Eighth Circuit later granted her immunity because she was federally deputized…