Stephanie Bottom (AP) RALEIGH, N.C. A federal lawsuit filed by a Georgia librarian says white officers used excessive force on the Black woman during a A 68-year-old Atlanta librarian is suing police in Salisbury, North Carolina, claiming excessive force during a 2019 traffic stop. An officer tells her she refused to stop for law enforcement. The then-66-year-old librarian from Fulton County, Georgia, was listening to music and didn't initially see the flashing blue lights coming from the police vehicle behind her, Holmes said. "Well, honey, you had several miles to stop. We've received your submission. In a federal lawsuit, a 68-year-old Black librarian is accusing North Carolina law enforcement officers of using excessive force against her during a traffic stop. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the alleged use of excessive force and unlawful search of the plaintiff's purse and vehicle. As she was handcuffed on the side of the road, the officers searched her vehicle and purse without her consent, a warrant, or probable cause which violated Bottom's Fourth Amendment rights, the lawsuit says. 2. I was getting ready to die, Bottom told the Charlotte Observer. Current Address: 7200 Orcutt Ave; Newport News, VA 23605-1916. By Stephanie Hubler | Feb. 23 Send A 68-year-old Black librarian from Georgia has filed a civil rights lawsuit against police officers over a traffic stop gone awry. A pirate at heart, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Political Science at East Carolina University. Our complaint alleges these officers had no reason to use any force, much less the level of force they employed. Phone Number: See the links below for more info. The then-66-year-old librarian from Fulton County, Georgia, was listening to music and didnt initially see the flashing blue lights coming from the police vehicle behind her, Holmes said. I did nothing wrong.. 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Officers with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Salisbury Police Department were attempting to conduct a traffic stop on Bottom, alleging she was driving 80 mph in a 70-mph zone, according to the suit. Top Indian judges to get treatment at luxury hotel amid d 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Mike McCarthy shreds ex-Cowboys coordinator after firing, Family raises 250-pound 'dog' for 2 years then realizes it's a bear, 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards: Lana Del Ray, Kim Petras, & more, RHOA star Drew Sidora accuses ex Ralph Pittman of cheating, mental abuse, Original Gone With The Wind script reveals secret war over slavery, cut scenes, Good luck 'worming' your way out of this one, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Kanye West and 'wife' Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date. She said she also experienced extreme terror. She was also unable to work for eight months following the injuries she suffered and still primarily uses her right arm to stack bookshelves, as she struggles to raise her left hand over her head. Officers issued Bottom a summons, charging her with "speeding failure to heed blue lights, and resisting, delaying, and obstructing an officer for allegedly refusing to get out of her vehicle and pulling away from the officer," according to the lawsuit. The fourth officer named in the lawsuit is Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten. (919) 682-1149, allegedly driving 80 mph in a 70-mph zone, The four officers involved in the incident, Durham DSS Slow to Reunify Kids with Families, Catch the Latest from Black Light Mass Incarceration Show, Join a Virtual Listening Session on the Harms of Solitary Confinement, RPD Releases Bodycam Footage of Darryl Williams Murder. Stephanie Bottom filed a federal lawsuit against NC police claiming officers violated her rights by using excessive force. Four law enforcement officers are named in the federal lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Nationwide Stephanie Bottom, a 68-year old Black woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, has filed a lawsuit claiming that police officers used excessive force on Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. Stephanie Bottom was driving on May 30, 2019, along Interstate 85 from Georgia to North Carolina to attend her great aunt's funeral, her attorney Scott Holmes told CNN on Tuesday. Show our community and nation that law enforcement who enforce the law, must also abide by the same law.. A subscription to PACER is required. quickly enough, the lawsuit alleges. One of the officers tells Bottom that three police cruisers had been behind her for about 10 miles trying to get her to pull over for allegedly driving 80 mph in a 70-mph zone and failing to heed officers sirens. When Bottom didn't immediately pull over, one of the officers making the traffic stop identified in the lawsuit as Salisbury Police Officer Devin Barkalow made statements recorded by his body camera that Bottom was a "f**king retard" and a "douche bag," according to the body camera footage. Stephanie Bottom, of Atlanta, Georgia, was driving to the funeral of her great aunt in May 2019 when she was seen by police allegedly going 80mph in a 70mph Use the links below to access additional information about this case on the US Court's PACER system. Born in North Carolina, Chef Tyson spent countless hours dreaming of leaving for the bright lights of anywhere else. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Emailus. The local NAACP chapter called for the release of the bodycam footage, a transparent investigation, a review of current policies, creation of new policies, and for the Rowan County Sheriffs office to update its mission statement. She later had surgery for the injury, but it did not fully repair the shoulder, according to the lawsuit, and now there is permanent damage. Get notified of updates. The Observer obtained the video footage which shows Bottom, crying in handcuffs, asking what have I done wrong?. : 1:21cv322 STEPHANIE BOTTOM ) Plaintiff, ) Stephanie Bottom (hereinafter Plaintiff), is an African American librarian who The officers are then seen pinning both of her arms behind her back to put handcuffs on Bottom. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the alleged use of excessive force and unlawful search of the plaintiffs purse and vehicle. Stephanie Bottom is suing the police over her arrest in May 2019 which left her with a torn rotator cuff. Ms. Eventually, Bottom received medical attention at the scene and was taken to the hospital, the lawsuit says. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright The Gamecocks responded in the bottom of the seventh with sacrifice plays by Petry and sophomore catcher Talmadge LeCroy. Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, FL Gov. Derek Chauvin trial juror details courtroom experience, deliberations: 'You're watching somebody die on a daily basis'. North Carolina Central Eagles (16-11, 9-4 MEAC) at South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-24, 2-11 MEAC) Orangeburg, South Carolina; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: North Carolina Central faces the 1983. Bottom claims at this point she was on her way to a funeral before saying that officers were hurting her shoulder. Bottom is suing Benfield, Barkalow and another Salisbury officer, claiming they used excessive force and tore her rotator cuff while pulling her out of the car, the newspaper reported Wednesday. a librarian from Georgia has filed a civil rights lawsuit against police officers over a traffic stop gone awry. The force applied by the officers caused Bottom's "shoulder to 'pop,' tearing her rotator cuff and causing severe injury," according to the lawsuit. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- A University of North Carolina student used some area knowledge to advance in Jeopardy's High School Reunion Tournament. The officers, from the Salisbury Police Department and Rowan County Sheriffs Department, pulled Bottom over as she drove to a funeral. McElroy told the newspaper that 'the Salisbury Police always strives for positive interactions with our residents and visitors, including in cases where we may suspect criminal activity.'. Bottom suffered a rotator cuff injury in her shoulder as a result of the officers violence. Discovery Company. Rowan County Sheriffs Office and Salisbury Police Department must hold the individuals in the video accountable. Traveling north on I-85, she eventually noticed the Lawsuit to be filed against police after Calif. man dies while being restrained by police. The lawsuit alleges that earlier in the stop, Barkalow also said Bottom was a'f*****g retard' and a 'douche bag.'. Link Copied! The suit alleges that in his official capacity he approved and condoned the unlawful behavior.. As an organization, we are dedicated to shifting the narrative on racialized mass incarceration through community education and mobilization. One of the officers named in the lawsuit, Barkalow, declined to comment, but said he no longer works for the police department. During this time, Bouk is heard on the body camera footage saying, "That's good police work baby" to other officers, according to the suit. The video shows Stephanie Bottom, 66, repeatedly pleading with Salisbury police officers and Rowan County sheriffs deputies to tell her why they stopped her on Interstate 85 as she was traveling to her aunts funeral in Raleigh in May 2019. Stephanie Bottom filed a federal lawsuit against NC police claiming officers violated her rights by using excessive force. Do not sell or share my personal information. 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The mainstream narrative that criminalizes Black and Brown people must be transformedso that we can all get free. 2. In a one-hour special, CNN national correspondent Sara Sidner explores traffic stops and the psychological, social, and financial trauma they cause Black Bottom, who is Black, contended in the lawsuit that the officers from the Salisbury Police Department and Rowan County Sheriffs office used excessive force, in DEPUTY MARK BENFIELD, OFFICER DEVIN BARKALOW, OFFICER ADAM BOUK, CITY OF SALISBURY, SHERIFF KEVIN AUTEN and PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL MUTUAL CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Set Deadlines: PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL MUTUAL CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY answer due 7/23/2021. The suit was filed in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina. of Idaho. Nationwide Stephanie Bottom, a 68-year old Black woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, has filed a lawsuit claiming that police officers used excessive force on her during a traffic stop two years ago that caused her severe injuries. The actions of officers who abuse their power makes it hard for individuals to trust law enforcement. The post 68-year-old woman sues NC police for violent traffic stop recorded on body camera appeared first on TheGrio. Bottom says. I was getting ready to die. Some of those images can be seen immediately below: Bottom alleges the group of officers arrested her unreasonably when they grabbed [her] by her hair and threw her from her Toyota Sequoia to the ground., As a result, the librarian claims, she was seriously injured due to the excessive force of the arrest, which resulted in a tear to her rotator cuff in her shoulder. This injury, according to the lawsuit, required surgery, permanently scarring and limiting the use of [Bottoms] shoulder.. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Artemis Moshtaghian, Melissa Alonso and Amanda Jackson, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7. "Because I didn't know they were going after me!" By Stephanie Hubler | Feb. 23 Send 8. This docket was last retrieved on June 15, 2021. Bottom, from Atlanta, Georgia, was driving to her great aunt's funeral when police pulled her over in May 2019 - but footage has only now been shared of the incident. 8. Did you encounter any technical issues? Emancipate NC was founded on the knowledge that mass incarceration and structural racism harm all of us. (Hicks, Samantha), Case ASSIGNED to JUDGE WILLIAM L. OSTEEN, JR and MAG/JUDGE JOI ELIZABETH PEAKE. When she asked for medical assistance, she estimated that an hour elapsed before officers called for help, the lawsuit stated. In a statement to the media, the Salisbury Police Department said it was unable to comment on pending litigation but that it strives for positive interactions with our residents and visitors, including in cases where (police) may suspect criminal activity.. As Rowan County Sheriffs Deputy Mark Benfield and Barkalow approached her vehicle they had their guns drawn and pointed at her, according to the lawsuit. Her requests for medical assistance were ignored even though she said she was in pain. She also was charged with speeding and resisting arrest but those were dismissed. The Atlanta-based librarian was allegedly assaulted by cops in 2019, during a traffic stop. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The lawsuit names Benfield and Barkalow as the two officers who did this. The comments below have been moderated in advance. 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