News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The civil case against Fentress County law enforcement officials accused of publicly strip-searching several females will go to trial in September, 2021.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Alistair E. Newbern set two trial dates Tuesday. The cases involve women being made to disrobe on a public street without probable cause, according to the suit.
The first case involves a June, 2019 incident when two women and a man were involved in a traffic stop. The trio accused two members of the Fentress County Sheriffs Department and a Jamestown Police officer of conducting a public strip search in a residential neighborhood along a public road. The two women were ordered to remove their clothing one piece at a time. Flashlights were used to search their genitals and rectum area. The man was ordered to pull away his underwear from his body. Nothing was found.
The only charge resulting was an improper tag.
The second trial involves two women who said a similar search happened in September, 2019. They were stopped in downtown Jamestown along Main Street. Marijuana was found in one woman’s underwear. It was also found in a suitcase.
The suit alleges the county allowed illegal strip searches with a written policy in place.
The two suits will be handled separately according to Tuesday’s court order.
