ST. LOUIS • An in-home caregiver who spent five months in jail after she said she was wrongly accused of sexually abusing a severely disabled woman has filed a federal lawsuit against St. Charles County, prosecutors and police.

The suit, filed Wednesday, seeks $5 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages for malicious prosecution, failure to intervene and false arrest. In addition to the county, it names Prosecutor Tim Lohmar, an assistant prosecutor and two St. Peters police officers.

The case against Peggy Sue Busby was dismissed in October 2013 as prosecutors were preparing for trial. They reviewed videotapes that purportedly proved the abuse and according to the suit “discovered that the videotapes did not contain any evidence of sexual abuse on the part of the plaintiff.”

By that time, Busby had spent five months in jail and had lost her rental home, job, vehicle and custody of her children. Her life was “in shambles,” the suit says, and she had to work hard to rebuild it.

St. Charles County Counselor Harold Ellis could not be reached for comment. Lisa Bedian, spokeswoman for St. Peters, declined to comment saying the city had not been served. Lohmar declined to comment.