WATERLOO -- Black Hawk County will pay $21,250 to settle a lawsuit filed by a Florida woman who claimed her rights were violated when she was arrested as a witness in an Iowa kidnapping case.

Members of the county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the settlement following a brief closed session with legal counsel.

Former Waterloo resident Maria Anne Thomas filed the suit last year against the county and Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Fangman in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.

According to the suit, Thomas was considered a witness in the state's trial against David Willock, who was implicated in two abductions in October 2002 in Waterloo-Cedar Falls. When Willock came to trial in 2006, Thomas was attending A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla.

On Feb. 21, 2006, Fangman filed a material witness complaint against Thomas, which allowed Florida police to detain her. Bail was set at $100,000. Thomas paid $5,000 for a bail bond and was released the following day, according to court records.

But Thomas claimed she was available for testimony and didn't need to be detained. She said the prosecutor used false statements to obtain the warrant and the arrest violated Thomas's 14th Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures.

Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tim.jamison@wcfcourier.com.