In May 2019, a 68-year-old Black woman named Stephanie Bottom was pulled over by officers from the Rowan County Sheriffs Office and the Salisbury Police Department. What have I done wrong?. 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. After the search, officers told Bottom to stand, but she said she couldn't due to the pain in her shoulder, according to the suit. Video footage captured by body cameras worn by the officers prove Bottoms claims of physical harm. The lawsuit names Benfield and Barkalow as the two officers who did this. At one point, she begged for medical attention, as well for an opportunity to call her family. [Law enforcements] decision ultimately to release her to medical care, instead of keeping her in police custody, demonstrates that he initial decision to take her into custody was unreasonable.. 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.". When she asked for medical assistance, she estimated that an hour elapsed before officers called for help, the lawsuit stated. A Black woman was allegedly grabbed by the hair and pulled out of her SUV by North Carolina police during a traffic stop in 2019 after she was driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit and failed to stop for law enforcement, according to a civil lawsuit filed last week. According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. She pleads for help, saying she has an injured shoulder. The No. Bottom begins crying and asks what she's done wrong as officers tell her she is under arrest, although it turns out she was never formally arrested. Charges against her for speeding and resisting arrest were dismissed. were aware of her general age based on their radio communications. 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. 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Within seconds of the stop, cops are seendragged her out of the car by her hair, and pulling her arm behind her back to handcuff her, all while she screams out in pain. The force applied by the officers caused Bottom's "shoulder to 'pop,' tearing her rotator cuff and causing severe injury," according to the lawsuit. Stephanie Workman, Age 52 Remove Record. Close. (Garland, Leah), Motion Referred: RE: #3 APPLICATION to Proceed IFP to MAG/JUDGE JOI ELIZABETH PEAKE. All Rights Reserved. According to the Charlotte Observer, video shows an officer telling Bottom that EMS would look at her approximately 11 minutes after the stop, after which she was taken to a local hospital. One of the officers was heard bragging about grabbing a handful of dreads, saying at that point she earned it on body camera footage. As Rowan County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Benfield and Barkalow approached her vehicle they had their guns drawn and pointed at her, according to the lawsuit. We are all complicit in its harms. Stephanie Bottom. Emailus. 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. (Hicks, Samantha), CASE REFERRED to Mediation pursuant to Local Rule 83.9b of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of this Court. The officers are then seen pinning both of her arms behind her back to put handcuffs on Bottom. Bottom was peaceful at all times, and officers knew they were dealing with an elderly woman, said Ian Mance, a lawyer with EmancipateNC who is representing Bottom, according to CBS News. Our complaint alleges these officers had no reason to use any force, much less the level of force they employed, attorney Ian Mance told the Observer. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia. The fourth officer named in the lawsuit is Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten. By Stephanie Hubler | Feb. 23 Send Bottom claims the officers refused to get her medical treatment even as she told them she was in pain, according to the lawsuit. 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. AGE. I was shaking in fear, Bottom said in an interview with the Charlotte Observer. She is hard working, hard charging and highly professional. 23 South Carolina baseball team continued its unbeaten start to the 2023 season in an 11-3 victory over North Carolina A&T Tuesday afternoon at Founders Park. In the suit filed on Wednesday, Brown - who was 66 at the time of the incident - claims she posed no threat to the officers from the Salisbury Police Department and the Rowan County Sheriff's Office. Body cam footage shows that in a matter of a few seconds, Bottom appears to be taken out of the car by force and pinned to the ground, with her face down and officers pushing on her arm. And after that, she claims, it got even worse. 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. Bottom was peaceful at all times, and officers knew they were dealing with an elderly woman. WebBlack librarian Stephanie Bottom pulled by hair, injured by police in Salisbury, North Carolina, lawsuit says. She claimed she had her music turned up and couldnt hear the police sirens behind her. Within seconds of arriving at her driver's side door, the officers grabbed Bottom by her arm and hair and pulled her from her vehicle to the ground, according to body camera footage. Stephanie F. Newby is a Neurologist in Charlotte, NC. 'Thats good police work, baby,' an officer involved in the stop can be heard saying later on the body camera footage. He took a job with federal law enforcement in February 2020, according to Linda McElroy, a spokesperson for the city of Salisbury. CNN has reached out to Rowan County Sheriff's Department for comment but has not yet heard back. Bottom claims the officers refused to get her medical treatment even as she told them she was pain, according to the lawsuit. Police officers then approached her with guns drawn and grabbed her by her arm and hair, pulling her out of her car and throwing her onto the ground. She also wants to make sure that other people are not treated the way she was during her May 2019 arrest. Posted by 10 months ago. 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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. : 1:21cv322 STEPHANIE BOTTOM ) Plaintiff, ) Stephanie Bottom (hereinafter Plaintiff), is an African American librarian who At the time of the search, [Bottom] was at the front of her vehicle and unable to reach her vehicle or purse, the lawsuit alleges. PO Box 309 Use the links below to access additional information about this case on the US Court's PACER system. Ms. Our complaint alleges these officers had no reason to use any force, much less the level of force they employed. Zendaya comes up roses in spectacular pink gown as she joins glamorous Jessica Chastain, Angela Bassett and Aubrey Plaza on red carpet in Los Angeles. An elderly black librarian was viciously yanked out of her car by her hair by a white officer and held at gunpoint during a traffic stop in North Carolina, newly released bodycam footage shows. The fourth officer named in the lawsuit is Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten. Emancipate NC attorney Ian Mance is representing Bottom in a lawsuit seeking damages for excessive force, co-counseling with the Civil Clinic at North Carolina Central University School of Law. The post 68-year-old woman sues NC police for violent traffic stop recorded on body camera appeared first on TheGrio. Within seconds of arriving at her drivers side door, the officers grabbed Bottom by her arm and hair and pulled her from her vehicle to the ground, according to body camera footage. The suit alleges that in his official capacity he "approved and condoned the unlawful behavior.". Stephanie Bottom was driving on May 30, 2019, along Interstate 85 from Georgia to North Carolina to attend her great aunts funeral, her attorney Scott Holmes Derek Chauvin trial juror details courtroom experience, deliberations: 'You're watching somebody die on a daily basis'. Bottom, an Atlanta librarian and grandmother of five, was driving to North Carolina for a relatives funeral when police stopped her vehicle after it was going 10 April 21, 2021 (Screenshot via TheBL/Charlotte Observer video) Officers used unnecessary force on a woman during a traffic stop in North Carolina, according to a federal complaint brought by Georgia The grandmother of five says she was on her way to her aunts funeral when she was pulled over for allegedlygoing 80 mph in a 70 mph zone. 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. 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 We are a certified North Carolina Small Business. The officers, from the Salisbury Police Department and Rowan County Sheriffs Department, pulled Bottom over as she drove to a funeral. It was a simple traffic stop, an officer tells Bottom. Benfield, Barkalow, and Bouk placed [Bottom] in handcuffs and secured her at the front of her vehicle prior to commencing their search of [Bottoms] vehicle and purse. WebI would highly recommend Stephanie. 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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. Link Copied! A Black woman was allegedly grabbed by the hair and pulled out of her SUV by North Carolina police during a traffic stop in 2019 after she was driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit and failed to stop for law enforcement, according to a civil lawsuit filed last week. Another angle appears to show an officer grabbing Bottom by her hair when yanking her from the car. Emancipate NC attorney Ian Mance and Emancipate NC client Stephanie Bottom are featured in a new CNN documentary: CNN Special Report- Traffic Stop: Dangerous Encounters. Show our community and nation that law enforcement who enforce the law, must also abide by the same law.. The force applied by the officers caused Bottom's "shoulder to 'pop,' tearing her rotator cuff and causing severe injury," according to the lawsuit. Eventually, Bottom received medical attention at the scene and was taken to the hospital, the lawsuit says. She also admits to going 10 miles over the speed limit, which was 70mph, meaning she was driving around 80mph. This docket was last retrieved on June 15, 2021. 2. Another officer involved in the traffic stop, only identified as Officer Smith, pulled ahead of Bottom and deployed spike strips that immediately immobilized her vehicle, the lawsuit says. Browse Locations. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Asheville (NC) (2) Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill (NC) (13) Clarendon, NC (1) As officers search the car - which Bottom alleges she did not consent to - one explains that three police cars have been following her for around 10 miles, which Bottom agreed with, as officers explain how she was speeding. Stephanie Bottom was driving on May 30, 2019, along Interstate 85 from Georgia to North Carolina to attend her great aunts funeral, her attorney Scott Holmes The officers also say it could've been a simple traffic stop before putting the onus of the current incident on her. 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. We've been following you for about 10 miles, an officer responds. Download theGrio today! Bottom pleaded guilty to failing to heed blue lights. The Atlanta-based librarian was allegedly assaulted by cops in 2019, during a traffic stop. Officers had their sirens on for at least 10 minutes, according to body camera footage that is cited in the lawsuit and was reviewed by CNN. Current Address: 9780 Lily Rd; Jacksonville, FL 32246-3426. She appeared in court for the traffic violations, pleaded responsible to failure to heed blue lights, and the other charges against her were dismissed, according to the lawsuit. Bottom says. Instead, she was handcuffed and the officers searched her car and purse without consent, warrant, or probable cause, which violated Bottoms Fourth Amendment rights, according to the lawsuit. When Bottoms didnt 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. WebDr. Here's why. 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