A lawsuit filed recently in U.S. District Court against the Crystal Police Department claims that five of its officers carried out a reckless investigation against a city resident.

Paul A. Anderson is seeking monetary damages for spending roughly two months in jail after being arrested on rape allegations that he says were based on misleading police statements. The charges were eventually dropped.

"They withheld facts which would have exonerated Mr. Anderson, and those were not disclosed anywhere," said Zorislav Leyderman, Anderson's lawyer.

Crystal officials could not be reached for comment in time for publication, though when contacted last week, Police Chief Stephanie Revering said the city had not been served the suit at that time.

In his suit, Anderson alleges that police sent a female acquaintance to his home on March 18, 2013, as a confidential informant to obtain evidence to incriminate him. That evening, Anderson had sex with the informant, who left in the morning and later accused him of having raped her, the suit says.

The suit quotes a police report that states the informant didn't remember what had happened that night and was covered in bruises. She told police she had taken three shots of vodka and felt "really drunk" before going into Anderson's room.

The suit alleges that after having failed to obtain evidence against Anderson, the informant fabricated the rape to have her criminal charges removed or reduced. In an interview, Leyderman said the woman was aware of her situation and able to give consent.

In the police statement, officers said the informant had been given Klonopin, an anti-anxiety medication, at Anderson's house. It can be used as a "date rape" drug to render victims unconscious. The suit alleges that officers failed to mention that the informant had admitted she was taking a Klonopin prescription.

The suit also alleges that statements the informant made to police and medical staff did not line up, and that officers did not interview witnesses present at Anderson's house on the night of the alleged rape.

During their investigation, the suit claims, officers damaged Anderson's residence and property.

Leyderman said the investigation took longer than it should have and that after Anderson and the informant gave statements to police, a long period followed when nothing happened in the investigation.

The lawsuit also refers to a separate incident. Anderson alleges that on Feb. 19, 2012, Crystal police detained him after he made critical remarks about his former roommate while she and her family removed property from his garage.

Officers at the scene asked Anderson to go inside his house, and when he said he intended to remain in his garage, they handcuffed him and detained him in a squad car for 40 minutes, according to the suit.

He was given a citation that was later dismissed, the suit continued.

Parker Lemke is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.