Woman, 6 hours with no clothes in jail

[Father of four]

This is down right wrong! How can We The People just keep looking the other way? How can the Good Leos just keep looking the other way? Think about your mother, wife, daughter or sister going threw this. 6 HOURS!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=477_1273857738

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[Father of four]

Grand jury clears Stark deputies in Hope Steffey case
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Stephanie Ujhelyi
June 19, 2008

By STEPHANIE UJHELYI

The Review

Stark County deputies committed no criminal acts while arresting a Salem woman two years ago.

According to a press release issued by Nancy H. Rogers, Ohio attorney general, a Stark County grand jury did not hand down any indictments after reviewing the evidence presented by the state's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation Special Prosecution Sections.

Hope Steffey, 48, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the county last year, alleging that deputies assaulted and strip-searched her before leaving her injured and wearing only some toilet paper in a Stark County jail cell Oct. 20-21, 2006.

The lawsuit was filed on Oct. 19, 2007, in the Akron office of the Ohio Northern District Court, where she will be represented by David B. Malik of Cheserton and Dennis J. Niermann of Cleveland. The suit seeks compensatory and consequential damages for all injuries, punitive damages to be determined at trial for the "willful, callous and malicious conduct of Gurlea, attorneys' fees and the cost of this action, and any other relief the court determines."

Defendants in the case are Swanson, Deputy Sheriff Richard T. Gurlea Jr. and one to 15 other "John and Jane Does" employed at the Stark County Jail, and the Stark County commissioners.

The lawsuit charges that Gurlea transported Steffey to the jail for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, stemming from Steffey's alleged assault at a Paris Township residence. She was convicted after a jury trial in Alliance Municipal Court in June 2007.

According to the lawsuit, Steffey broke a tooth after Gurlea slammed her face into his cruiser and then into the dirt road, resulting in cuts and bruises, while at the scene. It also alleges that no medical assistance was sought for Steffey, who was strip-searched and left naked for six hours in a Stark County Jail cell.

Swanson, in a press release, noted that no wrongdoing was found following a full and complete investigation.

The matter was presented to a grand jury, which determined that no action was warranted, Swanson said. He added this confirms the position of his office that his employees acted properly in their dealings with Steffey. He added his office is confident that the citizens of the community will come to the same conclusion when all the evidence is examined in the proper venue -- a court of law.

Ok I am looking for the Court case. Help me with that anyone?

 

[Father of four]

<broken link removed>


"Steffey settled her lawsuit against the county in July for an undisclosed amount. A federal judge has yet to determine how much the county’s insurance provider will have to pay in fees to Steffey’s attorneys."

If they were not guilty then why did she get any money?

 

[Father of four]

Deleted. Double post.

 

[Father of four]

<broken link removed>


Hope Steffey Settles With County

You may remember the disgusting videos of a young woman, strip searched by Stark County, Ohio police, and left naked in a cell, all under the watchful eye of male police officers. If you don't remember, please go back and take a look. It's a video you won't soon forget, particularly if you have a mother, wife or daughter.

Via Carlos Miller, some good news.

U.S. District Court Judge David Dowd said in a court order that the plaintiffs, including Sheriff Tim Swanson and the Stark County Board of Commissioners, "have entered into a resolution of the plaintiffs' case against those defendants, reserving only a determination by the Court as to the amount of attorney fees and costs."

The amount of the settlement, however, is undisclosed, a rather strange thing given that it would appear that the cost of the police abuse of Hope Steffey (which had earlier been spelled "Steffi" based on news reports, but is different in this report) will be born by the taxpayers. Don't they have a right to know just how much their police have cost them? Since when does government impropriety get to be swept under the rug so that the citizens, for whom the cops exists, are left to wonder?

When asked if the settlement is an admission of guilt, Sheriff Swanson told The Investigator Tom Meyer, "No reaction, Tom" and he hung up.

Other county officials had no reaction either.


Of course, it's great to hear that Hope Steffey received a settlement for the harm done in this egregious case, though disappointing that the local sheriff would still hide from what happened. I can't blame her attorneys for settling, as their duty is to Hope, not us. But it's a shame that the full panoply of what went horribly wrong here won't be aired publicly as a message to police everywhere. And it's a shame that the individual cops involved won't have to pay personally for what they did to this young woman.

It's not everything one could want in a settlement, but it's better than nothing. Better this than giving these sick, disgraceful cops medals.

OK so what do you think about all this?

 

[giddyupgo55]

And the police wonder why people don't trust them.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

My knee jerk reaction involves words that will just be replaced on this forum with the word "bubblegum"


I've seen many of these situations on the show "jail", but never did I see them strip anyone completely like this, and in many cases they had good reason to.
They obviously overstepped their bounds IMO, but, if she was trying to prove to them that she's sane and not a threat to anyone, she went about it the wrong way.

 

[Father of four]

Yeah this is really something to behold. This whole thing is messed up in soooo many ways!

 

[JumpWing]

If they were not guilty then why did she get any money?

You can't use that as a benchmark for credibility. Settling out of court is a way to control the cost and remove the risk that the plaintiff could convince a jury to award far, far more than what you settled for.

Imagine receiving a traffic citation that you KNOW is wrong.
Option A) It will cost you $175 to pay it.
Option B) It will cost you $380 in lost work time, parking at the courthouse, gas, etc. to fight it... and risk losing (which would add another $75)

So you pay it. Even though you're not guilty.

 

[Russianfist]

The only reason I could see why they would stripe her down like that would be if she was A: suicidal or making suicidal remarks. or B: resisting a strip search (which by policy should be done by same sex....Period).

Looking at this in a very unbias opinion.......the cops messed up, Big time.

 

[ZachS]

You can't use that as a benchmark for credibility. Settling out of court is a way to control the cost and remove the risk that the plaintiff could convince a jury to award far, far more than what you settled for.

Imagine receiving a traffic citation that you KNOW is wrong.
Option A) It will cost you $175 to pay it.
Option B) It will cost you $380 in lost work time, parking at the courthouse, gas, etc. to fight it... and risk losing (which would add another $75)

So you pay it. Even though you're not guilty.

All true, but in this case I think the poster was referring to criminal culpability.

Father of Four, it's because criminal law and civil law are based on completely different "charges" and standards of proof.

 

[Atroxus]

I wonder if the settlement amount and/or details of the case could be had through a freedom of information act request? Anyone know?

 

[MountainBear]

According to the video, she made vague comments when asked if she had ever had suicidal thoughts (a standard booking question). The deputies considered her a suicide risk, so they removed all risks (clothing is a risk). She was not being cooperative, so she was restrained and left to cool off (figuratively speaking). Male officers were present because the suspect was not being cooperative and it is safer with more officers present. A single officer or two may require more force to subdue a struggling suspect than more officers present would.

We do not get the whole story from anyone in this scenario. The "victim" and her lawyers tell one story. The Sheriff's Office tells another story. Neither were probably 100&#37; true, but a civilian grand jury declined to indict the officers involved, so that does say something. And if she was 100% right, why accept a deal from the sheriff's officer, as opposed to taking all the way. This isn't any better argument than the one you made about a settlement being a show of guilt.

FatherOfFour, I understand that when LEO's do something bad, they need to be called on it. But there is not nearly enough information given in the video or subsequent posts to make the kind of assumptions you seem to be making. I respect your opinion, and your right to it, but in this case I believe it's off base. Respectfully.

 

[Father of four]

This is down right wrong! How can We The People just keep looking the other way? How can the Good Leos just keep looking the other way? Think about your mother, wife, daughter or sister going threw this. 6 HOURS!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=477_1273857738

Mountainbear, are you talking about that opinion? If so, you dont think that 6 hours naked is excessive?

 

[MountainBear]

Mountainbear, are you talking about that opinion? If so, you dont think that 6 hours naked is excessive?

We don't know if she was still out of control. She gave vague answers about being suicidal. If she was assumed suicidal and still out of control, then they are not going to give her clothes or a blanket to hang herself with. She was not kept naked in the cell for amusement. I seriously doubt they paraded people by her cell like a circus sideshow.

With the anti-LEO sentiment being fairly rampant over the last several years with the well-publicized abuses by men and women in uniform, I seriously doubt that a grand jury, comprised of the men and women who probably saw this biased news report when it came out, would have failed to indict the officers involved unless there was no proof of wrongdoing. Only a simple majority of the sitting grand jurors needed to be convinced that evidence existed of wrong doing. Failing to get 51% of the vote on a jury of civilians does not bode well for her case.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

All true, but in this case I think the poster was referring to criminal culpability.

Father of Four, it's because criminal law and civil law are based on completely different "charges" and standards of proof.

Or perhaps a biased Grand Jury

 

[Blitzkrieg]

According to the video, she made vague comments when asked if she had ever had suicidal thoughts (a standard booking question). The deputies considered her a suicide risk, so they removed all risks (clothing is a risk). She was not being cooperative, so she was restrained and left to cool off (figuratively speaking). Male officers were present because the suspect was not being cooperative and it is safer with more officers present. A single officer or two may require more force to subdue a struggling suspect than more officers present would.

We do not get the whole story from anyone in this scenario. The "victim" and her lawyers tell one story. The Sheriff's Office tells another story. Neither were probably 100% true, but a civilian grand jury declined to indict the officers involved, so that does say something. And if she was 100% right, why accept a deal from the sheriff's officer, as opposed to taking all the way. This isn't any better argument than the one you made about a settlement being a show of guilt.

FatherOfFour, I understand that when LEO's do something bad, they need to be called on it. But there is not nearly enough information given in the video or subsequent posts to make the kind of assumptions you seem to be making. I respect your opinion, and your right to it, but in this case I believe it's off base. Respectfully.

A paper hospital gown is a suicide risk? Get real, this was simple abuse and I hope she cleaned them out in that settlement. I would have voted for Federal civil rights violations for those cops

The cops who abused that other women in Ohio should be publicly flogged, fired and put to hard labor for 15 years

 

[MountainBear]

A paper hospital gown is a suicide risk? Get real, this was simple abuse and I hope she cleaned them out in that settlement. I would have voted for Federal civil rights violations for those cops

The cops who abused that other women in Ohio should be publicly flogged, fired and put to hard labor for 15 years

Like I said, had there been any evidence of wrong doing, a grand jury would have indicted the officers involved and the complainant and her family would have taken it all the way through civil court and taken them to the cleaners (especially since the burden of proof is lower in civil court). Neither happened. No grand jury indictment and an out of court private settlement.

It's easy to sit back and Monday morning quarterback, BUT WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACTS! I'm not sure where you feel justified condemning people without knowing all the facts. I'm not saying for sure that no wrong-doing happened, because I don't have all the facts. All I'm saying is to those of you believing the officers should be flogged, get all the facts before you make grandiose statements like that.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Like I said, had there been any evidence of wrong doing, a grand jury would have indicted the officers involved and the complainant and her family would have taken it all the way through civil court and taken them to the cleaners (especially since the burden of proof is lower in civil court). Neither happened. No grand jury indictment and an out of court private settlement.

It's easy to sit back and Monday morning quarterback, BUT WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACTS! I'm not sure where you feel justified condemning people without knowing all the facts. I'm not saying for sure that no wrong-doing happened, because I don't have all the facts. All I'm saying is to those of you believing the officers should be flogged, get all the facts before you make grandiose statements like that.

I know all about the case in Ohio. The woman was arrested due to her accidental use of her sister's ID as she was being questioned about a minor matter at her residence. She was then force stripped by male and female cops, body cavity "searched" (raped) brutalized and left naked. It was all caught on video. I could not account for my actions if this was done to my wife

 

[ZachS]

Or perhaps a biased Grand Jury

I'm sure you've heard the old canard that "any prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich."

With very few exceptions, the inverse is also true. The bias is the state's, not the jury's.