Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Woman Who Accused Black NYC Teen of Stealing Phone Is Jailed
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
January 8, 2021

Share

NEW YORK — A woman who falsely accused a Black teenager of stealing her phone and then tackled him at a New York City hotel was arrested in her home state of California.

Miya Ponsetto, 22, was jailed Thursday in Ventura County, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office there said. It wasn’t immediately clear what charges she might face.

The New York Police Department flew detectives out to California earlier Thursday with a warrant for Ponsetto’s arrest. The trip followed days of intense media coverage of the fracas at the hotel and demands by the teen’s family and activists that she face criminal charges.

Ponsetto’s lawyer, Sharen Ghatan, said in an interview before the arrest that her client is “emotionally unwell” and remorseful for her Dec. 26 conflict with 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. at Manhattan’s Arlo Hotel.

The teen’s father, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, recorded the confrontation and put the video online.

In his video, an agitated woman is seen demanding the teen’s phone, claiming he stole it. A hotel manager tries to intervene. Keyon Harrold can be heard in the recording telling the woman to leave his son alone. Ghatan confirmed that Ponsetto is the woman in the video.

Security video later released by the NYPD shows Ponsetto frantically grabbing at the teen as he tried to get away from her through the hotel’s front door. She’s seen clutching him from behind before both tumble to the ground.

She Drove Two Blocks Before Stopping Her Vehicle, Then Refused to Get Out of the Car

Ponsetto’s missing phone had actually been left in an Uber and was returned by the driver shortly afterward, Keyon Harrold has said.

The altercation drew comparisons to cases like that of Amy Cooper, a white woman who was charged with filing a false report for calling 911 and saying she was being threatened by “an African American man” during a dispute in New York’s Central Park in May.

Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ponsetto after spotting her driving near her home in Piru, northwest of Los Angeles, said department Capt. Eric Buschow.

She drove two blocks before stopping her vehicle, then refused to get out of the car, Buschow said.

“She tried to slam the door on one of the deputies and that’s when they just reached in and forcibly removed her,” he said, adding that the sheriff’s office would ask county prosecutors to charge her with resisting arrest.

Ghatan said she spoke to her client earlier Thursday, and that “she strikes me as someone who’s unwell.”

She said Ponsetto “lashed out” over worry about her phone disappearing, and that it wasn’t racially motivated.

It “could have been anyone,” she said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Jackson Breaks NFL QB Rushing Record in Ravens’ Romp Over Texans

DON'T MISS

Beyoncé’s Performance Highlighted Netflix’s NFL Debut on Christmas Day

DON'T MISS

James Scores 31 in Record 19th Christmas Day Game as Lakers Hold Off Curry, Warriors

DON'T MISS

Why Are So Many Christians So Cruel?

DON'T MISS

California Bans Schools From Forcing Teachers to ‘Out’ LGBTQ Students

DON'T MISS

Livingston Mayor Jose Moran on Winning His Race by Nine Votes and Plans for the City

DON'T MISS

Welding is a Way Back to School for California Kids Who Regularly Ditch Classes

DON'T MISS

This Kitty Wants to Be Your Christmas Angel

DON'T MISS

Religion Has Been in Decline. This Christmas Seems Different.

DON'T MISS

California Limits Junk Fees: New Law Blocks Fines for Declined ATM Withdrawals

UP NEXT

Amazon and Starbucks Workers Are Striking. What Does It Mean for Labor Under Trump?

UP NEXT

Musk Slams ‘Wokepedia’ for Biased Editing, Urges Donation Boycott

UP NEXT

What Is Israel’s US Funded Plan for the Middle East?

UP NEXT

Illegal Immigrant Faces Murder Charges in Death of Woman Lit on Fire in NYC Subway

UP NEXT

Bill Clinton Is Hospitalized With a Fever but in Good Spirits, Spokesperson Says

UP NEXT

Cheers! Wine Clubs Are This Year’s Hottest Last Minute Gift

UP NEXT

House Ethics Committee Accuses Gaetz of ‘Regularly’ Paying for Sex With Women, Including Minor

UP NEXT

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

UP NEXT

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

UP NEXT

US Deportations Surge to Highest Level in a Decade Before Trump Takes Office

Why Are So Many Christians So Cruel?

2 hours ago

California Bans Schools From Forcing Teachers to ‘Out’ LGBTQ Students

3 hours ago

Livingston Mayor Jose Moran on Winning His Race by Nine Votes and Plans for the City

4 hours ago

Welding is a Way Back to School for California Kids Who Regularly Ditch Classes

4 hours ago

This Kitty Wants to Be Your Christmas Angel

5 hours ago

Religion Has Been in Decline. This Christmas Seems Different.

22 hours ago

California Limits Junk Fees: New Law Blocks Fines for Declined ATM Withdrawals

1 day ago

Research Finds Vaccines Are Not Behind the Rise in Autism. So What Is?

1 day ago

New ‘Superman’ Trailer Is Most Watched for Warner Bros., DC Comics Online

1 day ago

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

1 day ago

Jackson Breaks NFL QB Rushing Record in Ravens’ Romp Over Texans

HOUSTON — Lamar Jackson broke the NFL career rushing record for quarterbacks in the Baltimore Ravens’ victory over the Houston Texans ...

2 minutes ago

2 minutes ago

Jackson Breaks NFL QB Rushing Record in Ravens’ Romp Over Texans

4 minutes ago

Beyoncé’s Performance Highlighted Netflix’s NFL Debut on Christmas Day

1 hour ago

James Scores 31 in Record 19th Christmas Day Game as Lakers Hold Off Curry, Warriors

2 hours ago

Why Are So Many Christians So Cruel?

3 hours ago

California Bans Schools From Forcing Teachers to ‘Out’ LGBTQ Students

4 hours ago

Livingston Mayor Jose Moran on Winning His Race by Nine Votes and Plans for the City

4 hours ago

Welding is a Way Back to School for California Kids Who Regularly Ditch Classes

5 hours ago

This Kitty Wants to Be Your Christmas Angel

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend