Officers Illegally Rip off Woman’s Clothes Leaving Her Naked After Arrest
Posted by: Ashley Clark, October 02, 2013 In:
Dana Holmes of Illinois, 32, is suing LaSalle County, the sheriff, and officers for allegedly strip-searching her illegally during her DUI arrest in May. Holmes pleaded guilty to the DUI in July.
While Dana Holmes was being patted down, she slightly moved her leg when four sheriff’s officers surrounded her, pinned her to the ground and then carried her into a LaSalle County jail cell . The officers, three men and one woman, put her face to the floor and proceeded to strip off her clothes. They left her naked in a jail cell for more than an hour.
“I was terrified. I felt helpless. I was scared and I lay there crying . . . I just prayed,” said Holmes.
Dana Holmes’ attorney, Terry Ekl, says Holmes was dehumanized and degraded by the strip-search. He also shares that the strip-search violated a state law that requires strip-searches to only be performed when officers have a “reasonable belief” an individual is concealing a weapon or controlled substance somewhere on their body. The law also states that a strip-search must be done by officers of the same sex only in an area where they can’t be watched by others, which as shown in the video was clearly violated. “These are on-duty deputy sheriffs humiliating and groping a female inmate. It makes you wonder, were these guys ever trained?” said Terry Ekl, attorney.
“I hope they lose their jobs. No one should be treated that way,” said Holmes. She is suing for unspecified damages.
