More Women Claim Illegal Strip Searches: Lawyer

The lawyer for a woman who claims she underwent an illegal strip search while under arrest in LaSalle County says more women have come forward and are claiming similar treatment, according the Chicago Tribune.

Attorney Terry Ekl has filed an emergency motion to prevent the destruction of potential video evidence by LaSalle County authorities.

Dana Holmes, 33, of Coal City, filed a federal lawsuit against LaSalle County one week ago alleging three men and a woman pulled her to the ground earlier this year, carried her into a cell, stripped her naked and walked out with her clothes. Holmes was under arrest for DUI at the time.

Footage from the jail shows deputies fingerprinting and photographing Holmes more than an hour after the strip search, covering her in only a blanket.

Under Illinois law, a strip-search is permitted only when officers have a “reasonable belief” that the subject is hiding a weapon or a controlled substance on their body and requires the search be conducted by an officer of the same sex.

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