imported post
Sheriff wrote:
The Steffey case wasn't actually physical abuse. It was mental abuse by law enforcement. Namely, letting male jail guards strip search her. And then the media obtaining the strip search tape and showing it in the news, then it being recorded and posted on youtube and numerous other internet outlets.
Honestly, I hope she sues the sheriff and collects about $10 milion dollars for mental anguish alone.
I have done a LOT more than watch the dozen videos out about this. I have also contacted a lot of people involved.
(Except for Sheriff Swanson, I have NEVER been able to get a hold of him. Even after leaving my name & number at LEAST 3 times, with assurances that he would call me back.)
Heres a cut & paste of a few questions I have about this case.
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As you may or may not know the grand jury brought NO charges against the police in this case, and NO information can be released about what evidence the grand jury reviewed. So we have no idea what evidence was presented to them, or what may have been withheld as too prejudicial.
I have no idea, HOW they could come back with NO charges, but I have read Hope Steffy’s trial transcripts and I have a few questions for the grand jury.
Ok first I have to assume that the official policy of the sheriff’s dept is that the deputies ONLY have to turn on their video cameras whenever they ’feel like it’.
The arresting deputy had a body mic & video control on him and could have started taping ANYTIME he wanted.
Other officers have been FIRED over not starting their cameras, but the grand jury thinks this merits no punishment at all?
After he’s taken the VICTIM and assaulted her and put her in the back seat of his cruiser and she’s mad and cussing him, THEN he turns on the recorder!
And then he wants us to believe that THIS is the way she was the WHOLE time.
THIS is the only video the jury saw.
Is this the way taxpayer equipment is supposed to be used?
The arresting deputy also testified in Hope’s trial that he felt that Steffy had “disrespected” him. This doesn’t raise any questions for the grand jury?
Then in trial transcripts the arresting deputy and the backup deputy had exactly the same testimony of Hope Steffy.
They both said she was staggering, slurring her words and smelled of alcohol.(Even though other PROSECUTION witnesses testified she was speaking “crystal clear” and did not seem that drunk, if at all.)
The backup deputy then continued his testimony by saying that he didn’t get there until Hope was being put in the back of the squad car.
How do you deduce that someone is drunk, staggering and slurring her words from seeing someone in the back seat!?!?
Ok, then we have the video of Steffy being stripped, she asks the staff ’what they are doing’ and telling them that “she hasn’t done anything wrong”. Do you hear her ’slur ’ her words? (I don’t.)
And once you allege that someone is highly intoxicated, doesn’t it seem necessary to do a breathalyzer? But none was done here.
But the grand jury finds nothing wrong with all these conflicting FACTS to the deputies stories?
Next we have the arresting deputy testifying in court that he had to escalate the amount of force to arrest Steffy. He testifies that you start out not touching anyone and escalate the force necessary, that is why he testified that he ’pushed her against the trunk of his cruiser’.
He then testifies that he had to grab her by her right arm, tripped her, and swung her to the ground to get the cuffs on.
The other witnesses testified that the deputy “flew into a rage” and slammed Steffy on the car and then threw her to the ground with great force.
How do you break someone’s tooth by a push?
How do you have someone bleeding from their nose and give them a bulged disk in their back by swinging them down to the ground?
The grand jury sees nothing wrong with the conflicting testimony and the FACTS of Steffy’s injuries?!?!?
He says that he used all this force, because he HAD to because she was “resisting arrest”.
Later in the trial he admits that Steffy slipped a hand out of her cuffs, but she TELLS him about it and never tries to escape! (Or resist without her arm being in a arm bar.)
The arresting deputy also testified that a reason he arrested her was that he was afraid that her disturbance would "generate more calls to the sheriff's dept."
Then in later testimony he said that there could have been no other witnesses to what was going on, because they lived too far away.
Just another one of many discrepancies of the cops testimony.
This is a professional??
This deputy dishes out serving after serving of BS and the grand jury doesn’t see anything wrong!??!?!
Then we have the jail staff.
First of all, why do we have EIGHT people parading her down the hall, JUST to "ask her questions". (Some of them already even have their gloves on.) I get the feeling Steffy was doomed, no matter what she answered. This doesn't look suspicious?
We have Steffy declared suicidal. A experienced psychiatrist can NOT tell when someone is suicidal, but their doctor claims to do it, in seconds, with a few questions? And sometimes over the phone?? When’s the last time a doctor would diagnose and prescribe for you over the phone?? Sounds like malpractice for sure and probably criminal actions.
The grand jury sees nothing wrong in stripping people they THINK, MIGHT be suicidal!?!? Even though the person NEVER said she was, or had been??
If they ‘error on the side of caution’, what this means is that the MAJORITY of people they are assaulting are INNOCENT!! How do you justify actions like this??!?!
And then we have men helping to forcibly strip a handcuffed woman.
By LAW, they can’t be present during a strip search, body cavity search, or even supposed to be where they can SEE women in the showers, but Swanson’s “policy” ‘SAYS’ its ‘ok’ for men to not only VIEW a forced stripping naked of a woman in a ‘suicide prevention’, they are allowed to PARTICIPATE and help remove her cloths!!!
(The sheriff dept denies that men helped, even as the video CLEARLY shows it happening!)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/SteffyRemoved.jpg
But the grand jury sees nothing wrong with men removing women’s cloths?
And why THIS controversial way to handle it? Even correctional mental health officials say this is highly controversial method.
All these laws to keep men away, but the grand jury finds NOTHING wrong with this policy, just because Swanson “says” its “ok”??? Does this sound logical and reasonable? (Or moral?)
Why do the 3 men STAY in the cell after she is stripped naked and the women have left?
Why are they moving her around on the bunk and manipulating her legs in different positions?
The only thing we can tell from these video strips is that WHATEVER it is done to her...its done REPEATEDLY, by the MEN!!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/CavityNoBlue.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/CavityBlue.jpg
So what is their explanation or excuse for all of this as to why the women couldn’t handle this part of “whatever” they claim they were doing.
The grand jury buys “whatever” story they are peddling and still sees nothing wrong??
Steffy also testifies that her ears were ripped, when they removed her earrings. Does this sound like people trying to “save your life”, or that even care what happens to you!?!?
The grand jury thinks this is acceptable and is in no way criminal!??!
Then add on all the video, that isn’t there. A seven year veteran cop doesn’t “feel the need” to turn on his camera?
After 5 months of asking for the hallway video, the sheriff waits till the grand jury investigation, then announces that the camera “wasn’t working”.
The next two links show the eight people, with camera LED CLEARLY on, and looks to be recording.
THIS is the camera that the sheriff says was "not working", and there is no video on them going down the hall and questioning Steffy in the cell.
BUT then the sheriff wants us to believe that as they force her down on the bunk to strip her, its working again! (?)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Steff1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Steff2.jpg
I personally called the sheriff's office after I was contacted by the newsman doing this story, and was told that as of May 6th the sheriff still had NOT released requested video/audio.
So I then called (back in May) the sheriff, who again was not available, I asked if the video would EVER be released to the news or Steffy's lawyers, the sheriff's secretary, Carrie said that it would "probably" be released to Steffy's lawyers in discovery.
But, the video I was asking about, the sheriff NOW claims is non-existant!! (Gee, so I guess it WON'T be released huh!!??!)
:cuss:
(Even the video from the first lawsuit involving the three teen girls that were strip searched is “missing”. I haven’t heard anything about the Valentina Dyshko lawsuit, but I wouldn’t be surprised that video from that is “missing” too. )
This is the point where all the logic, reasonableness, and the plausibility of the sheriff and deputy’s story is REALLY falling apart.
Then the killer blow to their excuses, that they were not abusing Steffy, they were "just doing their job", to "save her life" is what happens next.
THEY LEAVE HER NAKED!
Their excuse?
"She was TOO suicidal for a suicide suit."
Huh? TOO suicidal for a garment DESIGNED for this situation??!?!
TOO suicidal for even a paper covering??
I never saw this in the video, all I saw was a traumatized woman who was humiliated, embarrassed and scared to death.
THIS is where the lies catch up to them.
THIS is where all the speculation of what was REALLY happening turns.
THIS is where we find out what was REALLY going on, and whose version of events to believe.
THIS is NOT an arguable point; THIS is NOT up for speculation.
THIS was done to punish, humiliate, and degrade Hope Steffy under the "color of law".
But the Grand Jury can’t see ANY criminal actions by the police!??!?!
