Pubdate: Fri, 14 Aug 2015
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2015 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspaper
Contact:  http://www.chron.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198
Author: Dylan Baddour

WOMAN FILES COMPLAINT OVER BODY CAVITY SEARCH

A woman who alleges Harris County sheriff's deputies held her down 
for a cavity search in a Texaco parking lot contends her rights were 
violated in a complaint filed Thursday with the sheriff 's office, 
her attorney said.

Charnesia Corley, 21, of Spring, alleges deputies violated her Fourth 
Amendment protections by conducting a vaginal probe in public without 
a warrant.

In her official complaint, Corley describes the encounter that 
transpired after she was stopped for a traffic violation around 10:30 
p.m. on June 20.

"The black female officer sat on top of me while the white female 
officer helped to force my legs apart and stick her fingers in me," 
the complaint said. "I felt humiliated. I told the black female 
officer that I felt embarrassed. She replied to me you should be. I 
also told her that they could not do this to me. She said I can do 
what I want, this is a narcotics search."

Deputies were searching for marijuana. According to KTRK TV, .02 
ounces of marijuana, or one half gram, was recovered. They did not 
say from where.

Contacted Thursday, a sheriff 's office spokesman said an internal 
investigation and civil litigation are ongoing, so he could not comment.

"We anticipate that the office of Inspector General will share their 
findings with Sheriff Ron Hickman in accordance with state law and 
civil service procedures in the near future," the spokesman said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom