Police conduct eight anal probes on man who ran stop sign

Sunday, November 17, 2013 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: anal probes, police abuse, innocent victim

(NaturalNews) In one of the more vile, sadistic police abuses to come along in recent years, a former suspect is suing New Mexico cops who forced him to undergo an anal probe eight times.

The victim, David Eckert, also from New Mexico, claims in his federal suit that cops from the Deming, N.M., Police Department pulled him over after he failed to make a complete stop at a stop sign just outside a Walmart store in January.

When he exited his car, cops said they believed he was packing drugs - up his rectum.

"They say when he stepped out of his car he was standing in a manner that looked as if he was clinching his buttocks," Shannon Kennedy, Eckert's attorney, told Las Vegas CBS affiliate KOB-TV:

A judge granted a search warrant to perform an anal cavity search on Eckert shortly after he was taken into custody. KOB reports that a doctor refused to perform the anal cavity search at a Deming emergency room, saying it was "unethical." Eckert was then transported to Gila Regional Medical Center, where his alleged trauma began.

Like something out of a science fiction film

The suit and Eckert's medical records say the suspect's abdominal area was X-rayed - twice - and that doctors performed anal exams - twice - before he had three enemas inserted anally and a colonoscopy performed.

In the end, no drugs were found.

"This is like something out of a science fiction film," Kennedy told KOB. "Anal probing by government officials and public employees?"

Eckert said he did not consent to any of the searches. And later, Kennedy said her client has remained "absolutely terrified" since the January probes.

"I mean it's absolutely unimaginable that this could happen in America," Kennedy told KOB.

What's worse, she said, was the insult added to the injury; when all was said and done, the authorities sent Eckert a bill for $6,000 - for searches he never consented to.

"We see this as a multimillion-dollar case," Kennedy said. "This is essentially medical anal rape, numerous times over a 12-hour period. I can't imagine anything more horrifying than what happened to our client. It's just sadistic."

She even suggested that there could be a component of racism involved.

"Maybe the officers who did this don't like him living in their community," said Kennedy. "He's a white boy, a scraggly white boy, and all these officers are Hispanic. It's a New Mexico thing."

She says her client, 63 when arrested, looks somewhat like rocker Tom Petty.

8-probe anti-drug policy?

Deming Police Chief Brandan Gigante tried to justify this outrage by telling local TV stations that, hey, his officers did nothing wrong and they followed the law.

"We follow the law in every aspect and follow procedures and protocols we have in place," Gigante said.

Perhaps it is a local ordinance, or maybe a New Mexico thing, but I can't recall ever hearing about a law that requires multiple anal probes for drugs - especially when none are discovered after the first attempt.

Kennedy agreed. As for the butt-clenching, that's a new one on her.

"I've never read anything like that before for probable cause," she said.

Eckert, a scrap metal tradesman, is suing the City of Deming, the Deming Police Department, the Gila Regional Medical Center and deputies from the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department for millions. Let's hope he is successful.

Sources:

http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com

http://www.nydailynews.com

http://www.usnews.com