Body cavity search: woman is suing police for '11-minute rape'

Handcuffs are pictured inside a prison, which according to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters belonged to Islamic State militants, in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 17, 2016. Reuters/Rodi Said

The attorney for Charnesia Corley, who was involved in a roadside strip search by Texas police, has released a dashcam video. The clip claims to show sheriff's deputies examining Corley naked for 11 minutes on the side of a road. Corley was pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign.

“When you stick your fingers in somebody without their effective consent, that’s rape in any state that I know of,” Corley’s attorney Sam Cammack said. Corley’s legal representative released the video after a grand jury cleared off Harris County deputies Ronaldine Pierre and William Strong.

Body cavity search

Sheriff's deputies reportedly said they smelled marijuana on Corley, so they conducted a body search. A female officer reportedly examined her using a flashlight in the parking lot of a Texaco garage in Houston.

The footage stems from a traffic stop in June 2005. Corley was a 20-year-old college student at the time. She was charged with resisting arrest and misdemeanour possession of marijuana. The Harris County district attorney’s office dropped the charges.

Deputies did not find marijuana in Corley’s car, Cammack told BuzzFeed News. They then instructed Corley to remove her pants for a body-cavity search, a 2016 lawsuit filed against Harris County states. The lawsuit claims Corley’s constitutional rights were violated.

The lawsuit further states that deputies forcibly threw Corley to the ground when she protested against being searched. They reportedly pinned her down with legs spread apart and warned they would break her legs. With no consent, deputies penetrated Corley’s private body part in a purported search for marijuana, the federal lawsuit alleges.

In 2015, Corley told CNN that her pants were pulled down and that she was told to bend over. She said she “kind of hesitated” and bent over, then a female officer proceeded to stick her fingers in her body.

In the video, she is made to stand while two officers look inside her car. A deputy was heard saying, "Oh, we are going to find something, even if we have to put our hands on her." The alleged “rape by cop” is not shown in the video because Corley is partially blocked by a car door, but it shows her on the ground for about 11 minutes.

Cammack wants the case to be handled by an independent prosecutor. A federal civil rights trial is set for January. For other news, watch the video below.