The full dashcam video in the case of Charneshia Corley has been released, showing how officers in Harris County, Texas made her get on the ground in a gas station parking lot, with her head underneath a car, and subjected her to a vaginal search that lasted approximately 11 minutes. Prosecutors dropped charges against the officers, although reported “new evidence” may result in a new case. Meanwhile, Corley is bringing a federal civil rights case against Harris County.
According to court documents, Corley had been pulled over during a traffic stop for allegedly not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign and not using a turn signal on June 20, 2015. They asked her to pull into a nearby parking lot and she complied. Deputies claimed to have smelled marijuana, and searched her car, finding nothing. They then told Corley to drop her pants before they used a flashlight to search her genital area. When they still didn’t find anything, the lawsuit says, a female officer tried to insert her fingers into Corley’s vagina, but she resisted.
At that point, as the video shows, officers forced Corley to the ground and removed her pants. They kept her on the ground with her legs spread, while the deputy conducted a vaginal search that lasted roughly 10 minutes. They claimed that they found .02 ounces of marijuana and charged her with marijuana possession and resisting arrest. Those charges were later dismissed by prosecutors.
Corley’s attorney Sam Cammack told LawNewz.com that he was shocked that the day the criminal case against two of the officers was set to go to trial, Harris County prosecutors suddenly dismissed the case. That’s when he released the video. In the meantime, he is lobbying for a special prosecutor to be brought in from another county to bring charges against the deputies. “We wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for the prosecutor’s office,” Cammack said.
LawNewz.com reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for a statement but they did not respond.
Corley’s federal lawsuit makes claims of civil rights violations under Section 1983, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, and offensive physical contact.
Corley v Harris County First Amended Complaint by LawNewz on Scribd
Note: This article has been updated with a statement from Corley’s attorney.
