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A Salt Lake County teenager has sued a former Box Elder County sheriff's deputy, claiming she was forced to strip down, show her breasts and stand in the snow during a November 2010 traffic stop.
Tamsen Reid, 18, filed the civil lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court against former deputy Scott R. Womack, Box Elder County Sheriff J. Lynn Yeates and Box Elder County.
Reid also claims that Womack, 35, took her into the passenger seat of his patrol car on Nov. 20, 2010, and told her to spread her legs because he needed to document any "vaginal piercings," according to court documents. Reid, then 17, refused and Womack allowed her to return to her vehicle.
The episode started when Womack allegedly pulled Reid's friend, Braydon Harris, over for speeding around 10 p.m., the lawsuit states. Reid and three other teens were also in the car. Womack ordered three females in the group to stand barefoot in the snow, lift up their shirts and pull their bras away from their bodies under the premise of conducting a search, the lawsuit states.
Womack also demanded identification from the teens, which they gave to him. The deputy took the identification cards to his vehicle to check for outstanding warrants, according to the lawsuit.
He then returned and told Reid she had an outstanding warrant for a heroin violation in Arizona, the lawsuit states. The girl disputed the officer's finding, telling him she had never been to Arizona. Womack told Reid she could either go to jail or be taken to his patrol car to be searched for tattoos or piercings, the lawsuit states.
"Not wanting to be arrested and taken to jail, and believing Womack's statements regarding the necessity of a search because he was a uniformed officer of the law, Ms. Reid reluctantly chose the latter option," the lawsuit states.
Reid followed Womack's commands to remove her shorts, underwear and shirt, but refused when the officer tried to "check for a vaginal piercing," according to the lawsuit.
Womack issued Harris a warning citation for speeding and the teenagers left the scene, the lawsuit states.
Reid kept quiet about the incident, but on June 25 contacted Sandy police to research the Arizona warrant that Womack referenced. She was informed there was no warrant out for her or anyone else with the name Tamsen Reid, the lawsuit states.
Reid contacted Box Elder County and filed a citizen's complaint against Womack on July 18 alleging the deputy committed an illegal search, seizure and detention.
Reid is suing for an undisclosed amount of damages, claiming her constitutional rights were violated under the Fourth Amendment and Civil Rights Act of 1871 because of the illegal search.
"Womack's actions directly and proximately caused Ms. Reid to suffer extreme shock, severe emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment and instilled in her a significant and continuing fear of law enforcement officers," the lawsuit states.
Yeates, along with the county, is being sued for failing to supervise and properly train Womack, according to the lawsuit.
Yeates could not be reached for comment about the lawsuit on Tuesday. An employee at the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office said Yeates is out of the office until Sept. 8.
Yeates last month told The Tribune that the Weber County Sheriff's Office was conducting a criminal investigation into Womack's actions along the interstate. Womack was terminated following Reid's allegations.
Womack, of Brigham City, also could not be reached for comment.
Reid and her attorneys, Robert Sykes and Alyson Carter, have planned a Wednesday news conference in Salt Lake City to further discuss the lawsuit.
The case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Brooke C. Wells.
—Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle contributed to this report.
Twitter: @mrogers_trib