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Santa Pictures + Marketing for your BusinessCounty settles for undisclosed amount in case of woman stripped naked
The Ohio woman who was flagrantly strip searched by a group of male and female deputies in a jail cell, then left naked for six hours, will receive an undisclosed settlement from Stark County.
However, Hope Steffey still has another pending lawsuit against those defendants not employed by the county, including contractors who provide medical and psychological services to the jail – essentially those who determined she needed to be stripped and left naked for her own safety. That case is scheduled to go before the court in October.
The incident – which was videotaped by deputies – occurred in October 2006 after Steffey was involved in some type of altercation with her cousin in which a patch of her hair was pulled out. Another cousin called 911, reporting that Steffey had been assaulted.
But Steffey went from victim to suspect after a Stark County Sheriff deputy arrived on the scene.
Deputy Richard T. Gurlea said Steffey – who was admittedly drunk – was belligerent.
When he asked for her ID, she handed him her deceased sister’s driver license, which she had been carrying in her wallet as a memento. When she realized her mistake, she handed him her real ID and asked for her sister’s ID back. But the deputy refused.
So she became more belligerent.
And he responded with violence.
The deputy said he pushed Steffey – 5-foot-5, 113 pounds – against his cruiser, took her to the ground when she continued to struggle, placed his knee on her back and handcuffed her, according to his report and testimony.
In her lawsuit, Steffey said Gurlea – 5-foot-11, 230 pounds – slammed her against the car, chipping one of her teeth, then put her facedown over a mud puddle.
According to the lawsuit:
Gurlea suddenly exploded into a rage, and without provocation turned towards Hope and slammed Hope’s face into the cruiser, breaking one of Hope’s teeth. Gurlea then pinned Hope against his cruiser with his pelvic area and said, “are you going to stop?” Gurlea twisted Hope’s arm high up behind her back, causing Hope to react in pain.
Gurlea then picked Hope off the ground and slammed her, face first, into the dirt road, causing Hope’s nose to hit hard against the ground and causing cuts and bruises. Hope’s chest and lungs were jammed into the ground by the entire weight of Gurlea’s body and knees. Blood began streaming down Hope’s face and neck. With his knees in Hope’s back, Gurlea once again asked “are you going to stop, are you going to
be good?”
Things only got worse from there. Once they arrived at the jail, she was whisked into a room and asked if she had ever thought of harming herself.
The nurse wrote in a jail record that Steffey smelled of alcohol and stated, “You don’t need to know about my mental issues.”
The nurse asked Steffey if she ever had thought about harming herself.
“Sure, I have,” Steffey responded, according to an audio recording enhanced for clarity by the state but still difficult to hear.
“When was the last time you thought about harming yourself in any way?”
“Well, right now’s a good time.”
According to the lawsuit:
Hope’s legs were knocked out from under her and her face was jammed hard into the floor. No warning was given and no words were spoken by Hope’s assailants. Written authorization for the strip search of Hope Steffey, pursuant to law and policy, was never obtained by the Sheriff’s Office or by any of the John or Jane Does.
While policy dictates that male deputies are not allowed to strip search female inmates, Sheriff Timothy Swanson said it was anything but a strip search. He claimed it was simply an attempt to keep her from injuring herself because they believed she was suicidal.
However, policy also dictates that strip searched inmates be given some type of paper outfit which would cover their nakedness but not be strong enough to hang themselves.
Steffey was convicted of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, but that was before the video surfaced. The cousin who allegedly assaulted her was never arrested.
Comments
Cops like that should lose their badge when they treat other human beings like beasts. It shows a certain psychotic mindset that causes them to be dangers to society.
This is good!
I called the Ohio State Attorney General and spoke with several people in the office when it happened. They seemed to be genuinely concerned. I wonder what’s happened to Gurlea?
1. Don’t call the cops during a family dispute. Or any other dispute.
2. Do not EVER talk to cops if they are around.
3. It’s not “bad cops.” The whole system is rotten. Including the idiot sheeple who think cops are here to serve and protect citizens.
funny, the cops do the fucking BUT the taxpayers get fucked, why cant the cops pay the settlement!
oh bulldog. don’t you realize the government agents are gods on earth. they are accountable to no one.
This would not be a healthy thing for any cop to do to any of my daughters.
And I’m not referring to my daughter’s health in that statement.
This is just ridiculous. These “cops” need to be jailed as sex offenders just like anyone would be. This is what is in store for our children if we don’t put a stop to this nonsense now.
We need treble punishment for government employees committing crimes.
Well I have found another piece of the puzzle.
QUOTE “But Steffey went from victim to suspect after a Stark County Sheriff deputy arrived on the scene.”
I was always puzzled by the news saying that there was “confusion” when the cops arrived.
I’m thinking what “confusion”??
They have everyone there saying that Steffey was the victim, even the cousin is saying it on video. Plus the brother of the attacker calls the cops on his own sister.
Heck even the cop testifies that he went to his car to document Steffey’s injuries…plus he is also on tape telling Steffey that he’s going to investigate her assault….so WHY are the papers reporting that there was “confusion”!?!?
Then I found out why…the cops tried to FRAME Steffey for the assault that she had reported!!
This is a Cut & Paste of what I have been posting:
UPDATE
Here’s PROOF the cops were actually trying to charge the VICTIM for the crime she was reporting!!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Incident-Report-Assault.jpg
NONE of the papers have EVER reported that Steffey was actually arrested for assault too.
Leanne Preston is listed as the VICTIM! This is the niece that Steffey claimed attacked her. (her injuries are listed as a broken fingernail)
Scott Preston is the Uncle of Leanne, the woman that allegedly attacked Steffey. They are listing him as a witness against Steffey.
HOW they are listing him as reporting the assault is beyond me.
Ok heres part of Uncle Scott’s testimony at trial.
So HOW do the cops use a statement to frame Steffey, from a guy that testifies that he saw NOTHING?!?!?!?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Scott1.jpg
I can see why they never tried to convict her of the assault too.
Since Scott is not the one that called 911.
Leanne’s brother is the one that actually reported the assault, and called police ON HIS OWN SISTER, at Steffey’s request. (BTW he never showed up at the trial to testify.)
The arresting cop, Richard T. Gurlea Jr., testified at Steffey’s trial that the ‘investigation’ into the assault was never finished. (REALLY?!!?)
We have Steffey’s cousin, on tape, telling Steffey that the officer has to KNOW that none of this was her fault, while the officer is within listening distance.
Plus we have the other witnesses that said Steffey was the one attacked. The cop has them all looking for Steffey hair that was ripped out.
Even the officer testified at court that he went to his cruiser to get a camera to document Steffey’s injuries, there seems to be no “confusion” about who was the victim like the papers claim. So what happened?
And he is recorded on TAPE telling Steffey that he will still ‘investigate’ her assault even as he has her in his car, so what happened?
This report SHOWS what happened, the cops KNEW that it was ALL BS!!
Since they are all trying to railroad the VICTIM of the assault!
QUOTE “Deputy Richard T. Gurlea said Steffey – who was admittedly drunk – was belligerent.”
No Steffey admitted that she had been drinking, NOT that she was drunk.
She testified at trial that the cops falsified documents that said she admitted being drunk.
BIG DIFFERENCE there!
This is just SOME of the stuff I have found while looking into this case. I have also talked to a LOT of people on the phone about this case. And I have had just about all the “authorities’ involved LIE to me.
I think the last ones to try that were the Stark County Prosecutor’s office. I asked them to send me any information that the BCI investigators sent them, and they claimed that I would have to get a hold of them, because they had been sent NOTHING.
It went something like this:
Me: “You mean to say your office called for this investigation, and yet the state investigators never sent you a report??”
Answ: “That’s right, you have to get the information from them.”
Me: “I’ve already got a copy of the report that they sent you.” “You know that seven page report.”
Answ: “OH, the letter….yes they did send that.”
CAUGHT in yet another LIE.
After trying to talk to these people I can well believe that they would do EXACTLY that, if they can lie to your face, I have no trouble believing they would falsify a record.
Deputies drop suit vs. WKYC over Hope Steffey report
Just as I have said all along this would NEVER get to a trial. There is just no way for the cops to justify what was done to Steffey.
http://www.cantonrep.com/news/crime/x1631834888/Lawsuit-against-WKYC-dro...
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