Black woman from North Carolina is preparing to file a lawsuit against her local police department for falsely detaining her and accusing her of identity theft, an event that she claims completely changed her life. Attorneys from The Law Offices of Harry M. Daniels is currently representing Tamara Parker and is considering bringing a lawsuit against the Gastonia County Police Department on her behalf.
The law company claims that Parker was charged with identity theft and attempting to steal property under false pretenses after being apprehended at her residence on September 1, 2024. In May 2024, two Apple iPhones were fraudulently purchased and delivered to an Advance Auto Parts store, which led to Parker’s arrest.
Two store employees who were interrogated by investigators accused Parker of committing the crime.
Parker claimed to have visited Advance Auto Parts in May, but her lawyers claim she was not there on the day of the crime. She was at the kindergarten graduation of her daughter. Parker added that according to WCNC, the only description police have for a suspect was a “black woman.”
According to court documents, on June 23, her charges were dropped for lack of evidence. Parker lost her job, thousands of dollars in legal bills, and the good credit she had worked so hard to earn, according to her lawyers, who say the allegations “threw her life into a spiral of instability and fear.”
Parker said she ended up losing her job in December 2024 due to the false charges, and now, her home is in foreclosurehttps://t.co/I8OgcGnPPo
— Robert Winston Jail account (@JailWinston) July 3, 2025
According to Parker, the false charges caused her to lose her employment in December 2024, and as a result, her home is currently in foreclosure. “I lost everything … it was very traumatizing,” Parker told WCNC. “My family kind of fell apart, my job, finances. I had to depend on credit cards the past six months to even stay afloat.”
In an effort to raise money for living and legal costs, Parker has launched a GoFundMe page. She claims that lawyer bills and court-related costs “have drained what little I had left” and that her financial condition has only gotten worse in recent months.
“‘I Lost Everything’: North Carolina Woman Says Cops Had Nothing But ‘Black Woman’ as Suspect Description Before Wrongfully Arresting Her for Identity Theft, Destroying Her Life” – Atlanta Black Star #SmartNews https://t.co/lNjimcoaFa
— Chris Silas (@Silas18Chris) July 3, 2025
“I’m incredibly grateful to have my name cleared and to finally begin searching for a new job. But now, I’m so far in debt that I don’t know how I’ll ever catch up without help,” Parker wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Any support whether it’s a donation, a share, or a kind message will make a real difference. The funds raised will go toward overdue bills, basic necessities, and continuing to cover legal-related costs until I can get fully back on my feet.”
Harry Daniels, Parker’s lawyer, said he and his colleagues are looking at a number of options, including a possible civil lawsuit, to assist Parker get justice and start over.
