This is like something out of a science fiction film, anal probing by government officials and public employees.
– Shannon Kennedy, David Eckert’s attorney
2013 has been peppered with its fair share of outlandish and unacceptable stories from within the Banana Republic formerly known as the United States, but the following tale definitely jumps to the top of the list.
David Eckert was just your average U.S. citizen who had apparently failed to come to a full stop at a stop sign in Deming, New Mexico. The local police who witnessed this egregious criminal behavior sprung into action and immediately forced Mr. Eckert from his car. When he stepped outside, the officers claimed that he was “clenching his buttocks.” The sharp witted officers determined they must have a drug dealer on their hands, so they did what any upstanding, logical law enforcement officer would do. They obtained a search warrant for an anal cavity search.
It gets worse, much worse. Upon bringing him to a local hospital, the staff refused to conduct the procedure on ethical grounds. However, such a trivial obstacle wasn’t going to stop these super sleuths from getting their guy! They decided to drive him to another hospital, in another county, where the search warrant wasn’t even applicable. From that point he was subjected to torturous criminal behavior.
First his abdomen was x-rayed. When they found no evidence of narcotics, that wasn’t good enough for these determined officers. They performed not one, but two anal probes with their fingers. No drugs. Then they penetrated his anus to insert an enema three different times, and he was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers on several occasions. Still no drugs. Then he was sedated and forced to have a colonoscopy. Still nothing.
All of this for not fully stopping at a stop sign and supposedly “clenching his buttocks.” All of this completely and totally against his will, and much of it completely and totally illegal.
Update: Since I published this story I have been made aware of another incident of illegal anal probes from the same police department. Incredibly, the dog that is being used to sniff out these non-existent drugs isn’t even certified to do so in New Mexico. Read the article here.
More from local news station KOB4:
The incident began January 2, 2013 after David Eckert finished shopping at the Wal-Mart in Deming. According to a federal lawsuit, Eckert didn’t make a complete stop at a stop sign coming out of the parking lot and was immediately stopped by law enforcement.
Eckert’s attorney, Shannon Kennedy, said in an interview with KOB that after law enforcement asked him to step out of the vehicle, he appeared to be clenching his buttocks. Law enforcement thought that was probable cause to suspect that Eckert was hiding narcotics in his anal cavity. While officers detained Eckert, they secured a search warrant from a judge that allowed for an anal cavity search.
The lawsuit claims that Deming Police tried taking Eckert to an emergency room in Deming, but a doctor there refused to perform the anal cavity search citing it was “unethical.”
But physicians at the Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City agreed to perform the procedure and a few hours later, Eckert was admitted.
A review of Eckert’s medical records, which he released to KOB, and details in the lawsuit show the following happened:
1. Eckert’s abdominal area was x-rayed; no narcotics were found.
2. Doctors then performed an exam of Eckert’s anus with their fingers; no narcotics were found.
3. Doctors performed a second exam of Eckert’s anus with their fingers; no narcotics were found.
4. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
5. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema a second time. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
6. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema a third time. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
7. Doctors then x-rayed Eckert again; no narcotics were found.
8. Doctors prepared Eckert for surgery, sedated him, and then performed a colonoscopy where a scope with a camera was inserted into Eckert’s anus, rectum, colon, and large intestines. No narcotics were found.
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