Posted on 02/04/2008 7:36:26 AM PST by VRing
CANTON -- Hope Steffey's night began with a call to police for help. It ended with her face down, completely naked and sobbing on a jail cell floor. Steffey says Stark County sheriff's deputies used excessive force and assaulted her during a strip search 15 months ago, according to a federal lawsuit.
(Excerpt) Read more at wkyc.com ...
Heads are gonna roll!
It all began in Stark County, Ohio when Hope Steffey was assaulted by a cousin and another cousin called 911 for assistance. When the officer arrived, Ms. Steffey accidentally handed over her deceased sister´s license, which she kept for sentimental reasons. She immediately noticed the mistake and gave the officer her own identification and asked for her sister´s to be returned.
The officer refused to return her sister´s license. The officer ran a check on Ms. Steffey´s license and found no infractions, but continued to treat her as though she were the perpetrator of the crime, instead of the victim.
Ms. Steffey states she begged for the return of her sister´s license until Officer Gurlea lost his patience and shouted, "shut up about your dead sister." When Ms. Steffey pointed at the officer´s pocket, which held her sister´s id, and said, "she was here, she was someone", Officer Gurlea threw her face down on the hood of his patrol car, chipping one of her teeth.
And according to documents filed by Hope and Greg Steffey with the United States District Court in Cleveland, Officer Gurlea then threw Steffey to the ground. Although Ms. Steffey´s cousin repeatedly reminded the officer that Steffey was the victim and had been knocked unconscious in the previous assault, Officer Gurlea handcuffed Steffey and put her into the back of his patrol car, refusing her medical care.
Hope Steffey was then taken to the county jail and forcibly strip-searched by 6 to 7 male and female deputies, despite Stark County´s own policy which states that a strip search must be conducted by a same sex officer. She was left in a cell for 6 hours with no clothing or even a blanket and eventually wrapped herself in toilet tissue for warmth and modesty.
She was not allowed a phone call or medical attention and when she was later taken to booking, she was given only a small weighted vest to cover her nudity. She was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Salem News Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson states the reason Steffey´s clothes were taken from her and she was left naked and exposed in a cell, was for her own safety. Sheriff Swanson maintains that his deputies are not guilty of any wrongdoing and that they have a job to protect prisoners in their custody. Canton Rep
Attorneys for Ms. Steffey do not believe that the sheriff´s office has handed over all of the footage from the night of the arrest and the dashboard camera was not turned on during most of the incident. In a second installment from WKYC, mounted video cameras in the jail show an officer filming Ms. Steffey´s arrest, but lawyers claim they have yet to receive the footage.
_end excerpt_
Not that I want her as president, but I would be willing to wager, Hillery - as a similitude of a woman - would be more inclined to despise this type treatment of any female. This is what the Patriot Act has already gotten us, courtesy GWB.
Every one of the uniformed need tasing until they pee their pants.
Quite profound and it will stay with me...
Really? At what percentage does the exception become the rule?
Try post # 2 . It was kinda weak, but it will get better. The more they lick the jack boots the more they get turned on and the better their response gets.
Eventually you will get hit with “You hate law enforcement” and “ they put their lives on the line for you every day”
If you were around during the Clinton regime you may recall that when someone posted anything critical to the Clinton shenanigans, a Clinton worshipper would immediately respond with, “You just hate Government”
That is so clearly wrong.......those peeping tom police were out of control and should be fired. I would contribute to the sheriff’s opponent in the next election. That really makes me mad!!!
So we can put you down as in favor of two men helping five woman strip search a handcuffed woman. Ok.
We will remember that about you. It speaks volumes.
My Dad has been gone 3 years next month and I *still* carry his license in my wallet. Just the other day I was getting mine out to go into a facility and the guard said “There it is” and I had to say nope, that’s my Dad’s.
They were dead wrong. That wasn’t a ‘strip search’, that was a forcible strip.
I guess if it happened to you it would be ok for us all to wait for the "facts" until then, it's just fine.
In your case I agree, I'd wait for the "facts".
They are correct in that I do hate law enforcement, and I have never asked them to put their lives on the line for me. My wife and I are quite capable of using handguns, rifles and other assorted means of mayhem to defend ourselves.
I hate them too ... we need national defense and a court system for basic victim crimes. Everything else can be contracted out.
You’re right. And their ‘reason’ for doing it was that when she was asked ‘Have you ever thought of hurting yourself?’ she asked “Now or ever?” That doesn’t sound suicidal, her cousin wasn’t calling 911 because she was irrational or threatening. She probably just thought she was answering questions honestly to get it over with (although I don’t know why she had to be taken in to begin with - just because she got upset that they might keep her sister’s license???)
That was sarcasm, I do believe!!!
Looks pretty bad to me. I’d say the insurance company for Stark County is looking at a large payout.
I think that you are doing a pretty good job of defending them. You do take the approach of , “I am not here to praise Caesar, I am here to bury Caesar.” But anyone, including Stevie Wonder can get your drift from yjor posts..
Let me put it this way.
Waiting for “final judgement” is one thing, but trying to find symantic loopholes “context” for WHY these MALE Officers striped this handcuffed woman, then left her laying naked on a cold cell floor for 6 hours, for a disoederly conduct arrest is waaaaay beyond the pale.
Sorry, but these Cops deserve the same “benefit of the doubt” they gave this woman.
Read, NONE!
But if you do not approve of the police doing that kind of stuff, according to far too many on this forum you are a cop hater.
Yep. Just watched both videos. Sheriff needs to lose his job, and some cops need to be jailed. I hope the couple cleans up, but I would advise them to move out of town in the meantime, for their own safety.
Ms. Steffey states she begged for the return of her sister´s license until Officer Gurlea lost his patience and shouted, "shut up about your dead sister." When Ms. Steffey pointed at the officer´s pocket, which held her sister´s id, and said, "she was here, she was someone", Officer Gurlea threw her face down on the hood of his patrol car, chipping one of her teeth.
And according to documents filed by Hope and Greg Steffey with the United States District Court in Cleveland, Officer Gurlea then threw Steffey to the ground. Although Ms. Steffey´s cousin repeatedly reminded the officer that Steffey was the victim and had been knocked unconscious in the previous assault, Officer Gurlea handcuffed Steffey and put her into the back of his patrol car, refusing her medical care.
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