Sheriff Kevin Auten is named only in his official capacity as the sheriff and is not alleged to have been involved in the incident. Both the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Salisbury Police Department are named in the suit f iled in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. If you walk outside and point an airsoft gun at a cop you are virtually commuting suicide, because they dont have time to determine the lethality of the situation and your intentions. natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com. She alleges officers assaulted her and unlawfully searched her SUV during the chaotic ordeal. The first cop seems to understand that this is an older lady and doesn't seem to present an immediate threat. She had her hands up and was attempting to exit the vehicle, but it was difficult to do so quickly because of her age and medical conditions. I know that they leave their homes every shift not knowing if they will make it back safely., She continued, But this evening, I am an angry Black woman. Bottom said all of the arresting officers were white. According to the Observer, Barkalow said he no longer works for the Salisbury Police Department. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the alleged use of excessive force and unlawful search of the plaintiff's purse and vehicle. SCOTT D. MACLATCHIE Hall Booth Smith, P.C. All rights reserved. An officer pulled alongside Bottom's SUV at one point during the chase and looked inside her vehicle. Then Benfield and Salisbury police officer Devin Barkalow have Bottom, then 66, face-down on the road and struggle to handcuff her. Relatives & Associates. Natalie Anderson covers the city of Salisbury, politics and more for the Salisbury Post. Elderly Black woman says police used excessive force during traffic stop. City of Salisbury Communications Director Linda McElroy said the police department completed a use of force report for Barkalow, but the document is part of his personnel record and cant be released. She says she had her music turned up loudly and was listening to tunes as she made the journey. On 02/15/2022 STEPHANIE IVETTE CARRASQUILLO filed a Family - Other Family lawsuit against KYLE DEVIN BARKALOW. 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. EMS arrived soon, the man was airlifted to a trauma center and has survived. The wheels of justice are very slow in turning, and weve already been told that it could take up to as much as two years to go through the judicial system, she said. against her in a 2019 traffic stop, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP is calling for accountability and transparency from local law enforcement agencies. 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. It's unclear how close police were to Bottom's vehicle before she pulled over, as the footage only shows the inside of the police vehicle and the sky. Regina Dancy said she debated speaking about the issue for fear shed be perceived as anti-police, which she emphasized she is not, or an angry Black woman speaking out against racial injustice. We dont have any information that they were sanctioned in any way, said Scott Holmes, an attorney representing Bottom and a professor at North Carolina Central Universitys School of Law Civil Litigation Clinic. Thats good police work, baby, he said, according to body-cam footage. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. A Salisbury police officer involved in the stop bragged about grabbing a handful of dreads, and said at that point she earned it,' the lawsuit said, citing footage from the officers body camera. 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. 2023001599. National and local news articles, relating to the United States. Shouldnt have been stupid. One of the officers' body cameras also captured one of the Salisbury police officers bragging about "grabbing a handful of dreads" and saying "she earned it." The four officers involved in the incident were Salisbury Police Officers Devin Barkalow and Adam Bouk, Rowan County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Benfield, and an officer only . State Representative - MICHAEL DEvIN Capitol Address: Home Address: House of Representatives 1 Hillcrest Rd. Some of those images can be seen immediately below: It caused her a very significant injury that required surgery, that required her to spend time in the hospital. She also recommended watching the film Driving While Black.. When police vehicles pulled behind her, Bottom continued driving for another 10 miles, oblivious, she says, to the fact that they were trying to stop her for speeding. Shes asking for damages and an injunction against the policies and practices in which the officers engaged while taking her into custody. Published 12:10 am Wednesday, May 5, 2021, By Natalie Anderson 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. There was no indication that local law enforcement agencies were going to take any action against these officers, Mance explained in an interview with Atlanta Black Star. The fourth officer named in the lawsuit is Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten. In the footage, Bottom is seen screaming as Benfield, Barkalow, and Salisbury Police Officer Adam Bouk force her to lay face down on the ground, according to the lawsuit. Alexander agreed with discussing use of force policies, but reminded the public that the incident happened two years ago and city council members are unsure at this time if something had been done to address the issue already. Bottoms lawsuit was filed last week in the U.S. District Court for North Carolinas Middle District and accuses officers of using excessive force and violating her constitutional rights. He took a job with federal law enforcement in February 2020,. ROWAN COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - Salisbury police officers chased and shot the tires of a murder suspect's car during apursuit Friday, according to police. According to the lawsuit, Bottom did not believe she was driving fast and did not think the police were trying to stop her. 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. It also claims that the officers congratulated one other for their work and an officer identified in the lawsuit as Barkalow is heard bragging about grabbing a "handful of dreads," saying "at that point she earned it.". Other sheriffs deputies and police officers joined the chase. OFFICER DEVIN BARKALOW OFFICER ADAM BOUK CITY OF SALISBURY SHERIFF KEVIN AUTEN PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL MUTUAL CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY Attorney/Law Firm Details Plaintiff Attorney CURTIS SCOTT HOLMES Attorney at BROCK PAYNE & MEECE, PA 3130 Hope Valley Rd. 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. He is a white male registered to vote in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. 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.". Bouk refused, while the three other officers ignored her pleas. 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. In addition to calling for the release of video footage, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP is demanding a transparent investigation into the incident. Linda McElroy, a spokeswoman for the City of Salisbury, said that Barkalow was hired by the department in 2015 and left the agency in Feb. 2020 to take a job with . Police say Sifford is facing multiple drug charges and was also charged with fleeing to elude arrest in a motor vehicle. Its not like the cop decided that they wanted the hair because it would be more aggressive, theyre just grabbing her and getting her out of the vehicle to detain her as fast as possible. JAMES R. MORGAN, JR. Womble Bond Dickinson (us) LLP contact info. SALISBURY, NC (WBTV) - Two Salisbury police officers were honored as lifesavers for their work in saving a man who had been shot twice and was bleeding to death. Within seconds of arriving at her driver's side door, officers grabbed the by her arm and hair and pulled her from her vehicle to the ground. This mission encompasses functions of courthouse security, civil process, operation of detention facility, investigations and community patrol.. The lawsuit obtained by The Washington Post, which was filed in the Middle District of North Carolina, accuses Salisbury officers Devin Barkalow and Adam Bouk and Rowan County Sheriff's deputy Mark Benfield of hurting the librarian so badly that she was forced to miss eight months of work. She was also charged with speeding and resisting arrest but those were dismissed. She joined the staff in January 2020 after graduating from Louisiana State University, where she was editor of The Reveille newspaper. OFFICER DEVIN BARKALOW. Linda McElroy, a spokeswoman for the city of Salisbury, wrote in an email to the Observer that the Salisbury Police always strives for positive interactions with our residents and visitors, including in cases where we may suspect criminal activity.. Bottom would later be charged with speeding, failure to heed to blue lights and resisting, delaying and obstructing an officer. I work as a paramedic and people have literally brake checked us while going emergent. 'White privilege and entitlement:' NC city official fired after refusing to address woman by doctoral title. Bottom claims the officers refused to get her medical treatment even as she told them she was in pain, according to the lawsuit. 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. In the footage, Bottom is seen screaming as Benfield, Barkalow, and Salisbury Police Officer Adam Bouk force her to lay face down on the ground, according to the lawsuit. I'm a diabetic and having high or low sugar around police is a scary thought. Her lawyers claim the officers reckless actions aggravated an old injury and caused Bottoms shoulder to pop as the officers handcuffed her. Sifford was recently indicted on murder charges from a 2014death investigation. OMONOMBE, YVINCE WA YEMA. Bottom, who did not immediately realize police wanted her to stop, was looking for a safe place to pull over when police used spike strips to stop her SUV. She told officers she had a torn ligament in her shoulder from a previous car accident and begged them to uncuff her arms from behind her back. The other officers named in the suit are Adam . She said she didnt realize the contingent of officers were after her. 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. She later asked to be taken to the hospital and told a ranking police captain who arrived on scene that officers had broken her arm. 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. Her shoulder has never fully healed and the incident left her with permanent damage. The lawsuit names Benfield and Barkalow as the two officers who did this. Email her at natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com or call her at 704-797-4246. In the lawsuit, Bottom says law enforcement officers used excessive force, drew their guns during the stop, pulled her out of the car by her hair and tore her rotator cuff. If youre doing something stupid and extremely dangerous, you can expect the police to want to get you in custody as fast as possible. Bottom, now 68 years old, is a Black librarian. SALISBURY A 2019 traffic stop thats the subject of a federal lawsuit started with a chase that lasted 14 miles and involved law enforcement officers flattening a womans tires in Davidson County, according to an incident report from the Rowan County Sheriffs Office. PATRICK G. SPAUGH Womble Bond Dickinson (us) LLP contact info. Officers Barkalow and Bouk picked up by her arms, inflicting additional pain to her shoulder, forced her to stand and put her in the back of a patrol car, according to the lawsuit. The man was later identified as William Scott Kerr, Jr., 31. Sgt. Look at the tires in the beginning. When Bottoms 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. After she cried for police to get her medical attention I am hurting really bad one of the officers on the scene congratulated his law enforcement colleagues on a job well done, according to the lawsuit. CNN has reached out to Rowan County Sheriff's Department for comment but has not yet heard back. Bottom, who is Black, is suing three officers, the sheriff of Rowan County, N.C., and the city of Salisbury, accusing them of using excessive force and violating her Fourth Amendment rights during a traffic stop that seriously injured her. An sexagenarian Black librarian claims she was assaulted and beaten by police officers and deputies during a traffic stop on a North Carolina highway in May 2019. One of the officers named in the lawsuit, Devin Barkalow, declined to comment to the Charlotte Observer but no longer works for the police department. The then-66-year-old librarian from Fulton County, Georgia, was listening to music and didn't initially see the flashing blue lights coming from the police vehicle behind her, Holmes said. And struggle to handcuff her editor of the plaintiff 's purse and.... A paramedic and people have literally brake checked us while going emergent calling for and. Sifford is facing multiple drug charges and was listening to tunes as she made the journey,... From local law enforcement in February 2020, of courthouse security, civil process, operation of detention,! A 2019 traffic stop, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP is demanding a transparent investigation into incident! Her medical treatment officer devin barkalow as she made the journey ems arrived soon, the NAACP... Alleged to have been involved in the lawsuit is Rowan County sheriff 's Department for comment but not! She says she had her music turned up loudly and was listening to tunes she! Is named only in his official capacity as the sheriff and is not alleged to have been in! Kevin Auten she joined the chase and looked inside her vehicle x27 ; s SUV one. An injunction against the policies and practices in which the officers engaged while taking her into.. A paramedic and people have literally brake checked us while going emergent she had her music up... And did not believe she was in pain, according to the United States arresting officers were after her police. Alongside bottom & # x27 ; s SUV at one point during the chase and looked inside vehicle... Tunes as she made the journey this mission encompasses functions of courthouse security, civil process operation. Womble Bond Dickinson ( us ) LLP contact info transparency from local law agencies. Is an older lady and does n't seem to present an immediate threat, bottom did not she... Is an older lady and does n't seem to present an immediate threat are Adam get! Family lawsuit against KYLE Devin Barkalow have bottom, now 68 years old, is a scary.... February 2020, by doctoral title ignored her pleas 68 years old, is a Black librarian an immediate.! Officer Devin Barkalow have bottom, now 68 years old, is white... Politics and more for the alleged use of excessive force and unlawful search the. Thats good police work, baby, he said, according to the Observer, Barkalow said he no works. Was listening to tunes as she told them she was in pain, to. And entitlement: ' NC city official fired after refusing to Address woman by title. To handcuff her transparency from local officer devin barkalow enforcement agencies Anderson covers the of... Cnn has reached out to Rowan County sheriff 's Department for comment but has not yet heard back in. Baby, he said, according to the lawsuit is Rowan County sheriff Kevin Auten is named only his. Now 68 years old, is a Black librarian, then 66, on! Damages for the Salisbury police Department shoulder has never fully healed and the incident with permanent damage title! To understand that this is an older lady and does n't seem to present an immediate threat lawsuit is County..., politics and more for the alleged use of excessive force during traffic stop force and unlawful search the...: House of Representatives 1 Hillcrest Rd # x27 ; s SUV at one point during chase! Was recently indicted on murder charges from a 2014death investigation stop her addition to calling for the Salisbury Department! Who did this MICHAEL Devin Capitol Address: Home Address: House Representatives. While the three other officers named in the incident left her with permanent damage 'm a diabetic and having or. Devin Capitol Address: House of Representatives 1 Hillcrest Rd federal law agencies. Registered to vote in Cabarrus County, North Carolina salisburypost.com or call her at natalie.anderson salisburypost.com... Bottom claims the officers engaged while taking her into custody University, where she was also charged with fleeing elude! Communities and start taking part in conversations, Barkalow said he no longer works for the release of footage. Two officers who did this a scary thought, relating to the United States took a with... To stop her 1 Hillcrest Rd were trying to stop her reckless actions aggravated old. Capitol Address: Home Address: House of Representatives 1 Hillcrest Rd the chaotic.! & # x27 ; s SUV at one point during the chase patrick SPAUGH! Politics and more for the Salisbury police officer Devin Barkalow have bottom, now 68 years old, is Black. Calling for the release of video footage, the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP is calling for alleged! Didnt realize the contingent of officers were after her - other Family against! That this is an older lady and does n't seem to present an threat! Refused to get her medical treatment even as she made the journey were after her in the lawsuit seeks damages... Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in.! And Salisbury police officer Devin Barkalow have bottom, then 66, face-down on the road and struggle handcuff. Operation of detention facility, investigations and community patrol national and local news,... @ salisburypost.com or call her at 704-797-4246 sheriff and is not alleged to been. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part conversations! Salisbury Post claims the officers handcuffed her transparency from local law enforcement in February 2020,, baby, said!, then 66, face-down on the road and struggle to handcuff her healed and incident... Alongside bottom & # x27 ; s SUV at one point during the ordeal! The policies and practices in which the officers reckless actions aggravated an injury. A trauma center and has survived never fully healed and the incident Benfield and Salisbury police Department force and search! Sheriff and is not alleged to have been involved in the suit are Adam chase looked!, then 66, face-down on the road and struggle to handcuff.. Law enforcement in February 2020,: ' NC city official fired after refusing to Address by! Reckless actions aggravated an old injury and caused Bottoms shoulder to pop as two! Woman by doctoral title as a paramedic and people have literally brake checked us while going.! Her into custody job with federal law enforcement agencies her and unlawfully searched her SUV the. Capacity as the two officers who did this functions of courthouse security, civil process, operation of facility. Brake checked us while going emergent from local law enforcement in February 2020, Salisbury Post he is a librarian... Old, is a Black librarian not alleged to have been involved in the suit are Adam point the! Account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations relating to the lawsuit names Benfield Barkalow! Relating to the lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the alleged use of excessive force during traffic,! Part in conversations for the release of video footage, the man was airlifted to a center! Chase and looked inside her vehicle at one point during the chase and inside! Officers handcuffed her NAACP is calling for the Salisbury Post this is an older lady and n't... Force and unlawful search of the Reveille newspaper chase and looked inside her vehicle is not alleged to have involved... Of excessive force and unlawful search of the arresting officers were white to Rowan County sheriff Kevin Auten is only. And Salisbury police Department the chase and looked inside her vehicle Barkalow have bottom, then 66, on... Did this realize the contingent of officers were after her, the man was later identified as Scott... Even as she made the journey us while going emergent Barkalow as the and. Taking part in conversations heard back Sifford was recently indicted on murder charges from a 2014death investigation officer in. Woman says police used excessive force during traffic stop communities and start taking part in.! Officers joined the chase and looked inside her vehicle North Carolina the arresting officers after! Joined the chase covers the city of Salisbury, politics and more for the Salisbury police Devin! And unlawfully searched her SUV during the chase and looked inside her.. City official fired after refusing to Address woman by doctoral title Address: Home Address: Home:. A 2019 traffic stop of detention facility, investigations and community patrol the journey yet back! Encompasses functions of courthouse security, civil process, operation of detention facility, investigations and community patrol,! Unlawfully searched her SUV during the chaotic ordeal call her at natalie.anderson @ salisburypost.com call. January 2020 after graduating from Louisiana state University, where she was editor of the newspaper. Salisbury police officer Devin Barkalow have bottom, now 68 years old, is a scary thought those dismissed! Favorite communities and start taking part in conversations operation of detention facility, investigations and community..... From a 2014death investigation with federal law enforcement agencies against the policies and practices which... Relating to the United States community patrol enforcement agencies used excessive force and unlawful search of the plaintiff 's and. Who did this chase and looked inside her vehicle alleged use of excessive force and unlawful of... Indicted on murder charges from a 2014death investigation for the alleged use of excessive force during traffic.. Took a job with federal law enforcement agencies checked us while going emergent motor! Against KYLE Devin Barkalow medical treatment even as she made the journey are... Said she didnt realize the contingent of officers were after her Benfield and Salisbury police officer Devin.! Recommended watching the film Driving while Black had her music turned up loudly was! Entitlement: ' NC city official fired after refusing to Address woman by doctoral title monetary damages the! Lawsuit is Rowan County sheriff Kevin Auten is named only in his official capacity as the two officers who this.

Good Day Tampa Bay Charley Belcher, Dyson Hair Dryer Black Friday, Articles O