Utah woman “raped” by drug task force

By Christian Probasco, 12-07-08

Back in 2004, Haley Owen Hooper was pulled over by Sevier County deputies looking for the owner of the car she was driving. She says they searched the car without her permission.  When she refused to perform a field sobriety test, they took her into custody.

“They arrested me for nothing,” said Hooper, “…I mean, they weren’t even looking for me.”

A female nurse at the Sevier County jail strip searched Hooper.  When she refused to provide a urine sample, deputies obtained a warrant for bodily fluids.  She offered to give blood but was told by one of the deputies, “in a black cowboy hat,” according to her, that the judge wanted urine.  Next step: a male guard stripped her in front of several other male guards.  She was held down and a catheter was forced into her.

Now Hooper is suing Sevier County, contending that her civil rights were violated.  Her lawsuit says that she “was half-naked, bleeding, and had several male and female strangers watching and participating in the violation of her rights. She was physically and emotionally ill, to the point that she vomited. (Hooper) basically felt as though she had been raped…”

Hooper’s test turned out positive for meth. and THC but former 6th District Court Judge Kay L. McIff dismissed the charges, calling the catheterization “offensive and unreasonable.” He added:

“(I) consider the forceful use of the catheter to obtain bodily fluid to be a gross personal indignity.”

The lawsuit names Central Utah Narcotics Task Force chief Cordell Pearson and Sevier County Sheriff Phil Barney as defendants. It also names two other counties who sponsor the task force: Millard and Sanpete.

I live in Sanpete County.  Our newspaper ran an article on Hooper but the information we have is basically the same as what the “big” media outlets have access to.  I can say that there are a lot of people in Sanpete have been affected or know someone who has been affected by the meth. “epidemic.” The difference between me and my esteemed neighbors in this case is that it just takes one incident like this for me to completely lose faith in a law-enforcement institution.  There have to be better ways to combat drug addiction than invading somebody’s privacy to this degree.  Next, I suppose, they’ll be setting up roadblocks, busting pot smokers and smashing down doors.  When that happens, the task force will have become the epidemic. 

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