VIDEO: N.M. Man Sues Officers, Agencies, Hospital Over Anal Probes
A Deming, N.M, man is suing numerous parties, including officers and deputies, over medical procedures that were performed on him in search of narcotics following a traffic stop.
The incident began Jan. 2 after David Eckert finished shopping at the Wal-Mart in Deming, N.M. 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 TV 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.
Physicians at the Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City agreed to perform the procedure and a few hours later, Eckert was admitted.
While there, Eckert was subjected to repeated and humiliating forced medical procedures, including X-rays, digital probes of his anus, three enemas, and a colonoscopy. No narcotics were found.
Throughout the incident, Eckert protested and never gave doctors at the Gila Regional Medical Center consent to perform any of these medical procedures. In addition, Eckert’s attorney asserts that the search warrant was not valid because it was issued in Luna County and the Gila Regional Medical Center is in Grant County.
Eckert is suing The City of Deming and Deming Police Officers Bobby Orosco, Robert Chavez, and Officer (No first name given on the filing) Hernandez; Hidalgo County Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputies David Arredondo, Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Green; Deputy District Attorney Daniel Dougherty; and the Gila Regional Medical Center, including Robert Wilcox, M.D and Okay Odocha, M.D.
