Florida Resident Files Lawsuit Against Martin County Sheriff Following Two Week Wrongful Felony Imprisonment

Michael Brewer is suing Florida authorities after a national database error led to a 14 day jail stay for a felony he never committed.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 25, 2026, 4:17 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from WFLX

High Stakes Traffic Stop in Martin County

The legal dispute originated from a tense roadside encounter in March 2025, where deputies confronted Michael Brewer under the mistaken belief that he was a convicted felon in unlawful possession of a firearm. Body camera footage captured Brewer pleading with officers, explaining that he held a valid real estate license and a concealed carry permit from Kentucky. Despite his protests and immediate disclosure of a weapon in his work bag, authorities handcuffed him and initiated a formal arrest based on electronic records that suggested a prior felony conviction.

Background Check Failure at Local Gun Store

The chain of events leading to the arrest began days earlier when Brewer attempted to purchase a firearm at Lotus Gunworks in Jensen Beach. After placing a deposit and undergoing a standard background check, he was notified that his application had been denied by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. While Brewer initially intended to investigate the denial at a later date, the flagged transaction alerted the Martin County Sheriffs Office, prompting them to track him down under the assumption that a prohibited person was attempting to arm themselves.

Technical Discrepancies in the National Database

Central to the lawsuit is an error within the National Crime Information Center, a database managed by the FBI and utilized by law enforcement agencies across the country. While Brewers records indicated a felony arrest in Kentucky from over a decade ago, court documents confirm that the charge was successfully amended to a misdemeanor. However, the federal system failed to reflect this crucial update, displaying a guilty disposition for a felony and leading investigators to believe Brewer was a high risk offender.