Run A Stop Sign? Get Ready To Be Anally Violated

[gryphon]

News video at link.  Rundown of video:

1. David Eckert, regular Joe Shmo, finishes up his shopping at Walmart, and then neglects to come to a complete stop at a stop sign pulling out of the parking lot. Cop stops him.
2. Cop observes David Eckert seemingly clenching his butt cheeks. Decides that's probable cause to suspect Eckert is hiding drugs in his butt. He detains Eckert and obtains search warrant to allow for an anal cavity search.
3. Cop takes Eckert to ER. Doc there refuses to do cavity search citing it's "unethical."
4. Other medical center is all, "Sure! We'll happily anally probe him!" Eckert is admitted. And then the real fun begins.
* Eckert's abdomen is x-rayed. No drugs.
* Eckert's anus is probed. No drugs.
* Eckert's anus is probed again. Still no drugs.
* Eckert is given an enema, and forced to crap in front of docs and police. His stool is searched. No drugs.
* A second enema is given. Same deal. No drugs.
* A third enema is given. Again, no drugs.
* Docs perform another x-ray. No drugs.
* Eckert is sedated, and a freaking COLONOSCOPY is performed. NO FREAKING DRUGS.

At no time during any of this did Eckert agree or give consent. In fact, he protested throughout, as well he should have. And he's suing the crap out of everyone now, as well as he should. And with any luck, he'll win, because if you can believe it, the story gets even better.

The medical center which subjected him to all of this crap? NOT IN THE COUNTY WHERE THE WARRANT WAS ISSUED. Whoops. And even if it HAD been? It expired at 10pm, which was three hours BEFORE the colonoscopy occurred. Double whoops.

And the icing on the cake? The medical center is BILLING ECKERT for all of these procedures, you guys.

I can't even process how much is wrong with this. Apparently, if you look like you might be clenching your butt cheeks, you can suffer through a freaking COLONOSCOPY at the hands of cops now.

We still live in America, right?

http://chicksontheright.com/posts/item/24924-run-a-stop-sign-get-ready-to-be-anally-violated
http://www.kob.com/article/11687/?vid=4607483

The news video states that the hospital is threatening to take the guy to collections if he refuses to pay.

[sircapsalot]

woooooooooooowww.. that's all i can say.

[gryphon]

Yeah.  Eckert is now suing the City of Deming, Deming police officers Bobby Orosco, Robert Chavez, Officer Hernandez, and Hidalgo County deputies David Arredondo, Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Green. He's also suing Deputy District Attorney Daniel Dougherty and the Gila Regional Medical Center.

[sircapsalot]

pretty sure he'll win..

though the entire situation is disgusting.. the thing that disgusts me the most is the medical center threatening to take him to collections if he doesn't pay.

also, the video mentioned that a dog smelled drugs on his seat.. giving even more reasonable suspicion.

[gryphon]

the video mentioned that a dog smelled drugs on his seat..

You believe them?  There are youtube videos of cops encouraging the dog to "hit" on areas of cars.  And even if the dog doesn't, there's nothing to stop the cop from saying "the dog hit on your front seat" anyway.

The fact that the police abused their authority under color of law leads me to not believe them in the first place.

[gryphon]

The story gets curiouser and curiouser

The lawsuit accuses law enforcement officers, a prosecutor and two doctors of violating his constitutional rights, as well as medical negligence, unfair practices, battery and false imprisonment. The suit does not specify a dollar figure Eckert is seeking, but asks for actual, compensatory and punitive damages plus attorney's fees and other related costs.

Dougherty, a deputy district attorney in the 6th Judicial District, is named in the suit for his alleged role in approving a questionable search warrant. Dougherty denies approving the warrant.

But one of the physicians named in the suit, Dr. Robert Wilcox, said in court filings he "reasonably believed" the warrant to be valid.

During those procedures, the suit alleges, police officers mocked, harassed and berated Eckert. They also repeatedly misplaced the privacy curtain, exposing Eckert to a public hallway during "intimate and humiliating searches."

Aside from Dougherty and Wilcox, Eckert is suing the city of Deming; Deming police officers Bobby Orosco, Robert Chavez, FNU (first name unknown) Hernandez; Hidalgo County; Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies David Arredondo, Robert Rodriguez, Patrick Green; and Dr. Okay H. Odocha, MD.

The physicians, Dougherty and all defendants from Hidalgo County have filed responses in federal court, denying most of the allegations against them. Deming officials have yet to file their responses.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_24461411/lordsburg-n-m-mans-federal-lawsuit-claims-police

[jgillmanjr]

There should be criminal penalties as well.

[bigt8261]

Looks like this might not be the first time.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3210356.shtml?cat=500#.Unq8whAUbKG

[Jeff]

Wow, looks like a bunch of them are going to get anally ripped apart now.  GOOD.

[Super Trucker]

Butt, butt, butt most cops are good.

[sircapsalot]

You believe them?  There are youtube videos of cops encouraging the dog to "hit" on areas of cars.  And even if the dog doesn't, there's nothing to stop the cop from saying "the dog hit on your front seat" anyway.

The fact that the police abused their authority under color of law leads me to not believe them in the first place.

no - I *meant* to put

giving even more "reasonable suspicion"

[gryphon]

UPDATE!

Settled

A city and county in southern New Mexico have settled a lawsuit filed by a man taken to two hospitals and subjected to anal probes over suspicion of hiding drugs, the man's lawyer said Monday.

According to attorneys for David Eckert, Hidalgo County and the city of Deming recently settled their portion of a lawsuit for a total of $1.6 million.

The lawsuit, filed against police and sheriff's officials in Deming and Hidalgo County, which borders Mexico, alleges Deming police sought a search warrant for Eckert because they thought he appeared to be clenching his buttocks when he got out of his car in January 2013.

Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies told the Deming police officers Eckert was known in the area for carrying drugs inside his body, the lawsuit said. Police also brought in a drug-sniffing dog, which detected something in the driver's seat.

The lawsuit alleged a host of violations of Eckert's rights, including his being denied the right to make a phone call from the police station, the fact that the search warrant that was filed to search his body was valid only in Luna County but he was taken to a different county after a doctor at the local hospital refused to do the searches, citing ethical violations.

Despite the body searches, no drugs were found.

"It was medically unethical and unconstitutional," Shannon Kennedy, Eckert's attorney, told The Associated Press. "He feels relieved that this part is over and believes this litigation might make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else."

In a statement, Eckert said he felt vindicated by the settlement. "I feel that I got some justice as I think the settlement shows they were wrong to do what they did to me," Eckert said. "I truly hope that no one will be treated like this ever again. I felt very helpless and alone on that night."

Hidalgo County and Deming officials both declined to comment about the settlement.

A lawsuit against doctors and the hospital in the case is still ongoing.

[bigt8261]

Talk about pulling money out your rear!