GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County woman has filed a lawsuit, claiming a police officer faked her drug arrest on a national TV show.
She accuses the officer of planting suspected cocaine to show off for the cameras.
The woman’s attorney told Channel 2’s Carl Willis she doesn’t feel safe in Gwinnett County anymore.
“Her life has simply been destroyed,” said attorney John Burdges.
Burdges is accusing Gwinnett County police officers of setting up his client, Elizabeth Butler, by framing her for the cameras during an unexpected appearance on the TV show COPS in 2013.
It was an arrest that Burdges says soiled her reputation and left a video clip that he says continues to defame her.
“It’s well over 33,000 hits. What’s really damaging is the officer’s statements on the video,” Burdges said.
The video shows Gwinnett County Police Officer Paul Tremblay talking about Butler’s marijuana leaf tattoo and the tattoo of a Grateful Dead bear on her foot.
“That is consistent for some drug users,” Tremblay said on the video
But it’s during a narcotics test that Burdges accuses Tremblay of planting cocaine.
“That would be cocaine. That’s positive for cocaine,” Tremblay said on the video.
“This was the result of first test. It was pink. There is no drugs in this test,” Burdges told Willis.
Burdges said there is unedited video that shows the officer going to the trunk of his squad car to get a second test kit.
“We submit that the test was turned positive, because the only person that possessed cocaine that night was the officer,” Burdges said.
Burdges believes the officer and the production team behind COPS knew full well Butler and her friend didn’t have drugs.
“Now she’s tarnished for life,” Burdges said. “I think the officer had the drugs.”
Butler’s possession charge was later dropped after testing by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found no drugs.
She’s seeking a trial and damages.
The police department declined to comment, due to the pending lawsuit.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/attorney-claims-police-falsely-arrested-client-tv-/nnPNr/
STOP WATCHING THE DAMNED TELEVISION…
HELLOOOOOOO…
This is common practice among cops, and I know this from first-hand experience, as I was once arrested for marijuana that a cop planted on me.
He assumed that a white guy in my neighborhood must be buying drugs, and because he wasn’t a local cop, he didn’t know me. (I was one of a precious few white people in my “hood”, so I was a bit noticeable). I was walking back home from the dentist, and when the pigs couldn’t find any drugs on me, one of them pulled out a little Sucrets box filled with pills, little bags of powder, and roaches. He decided on a marijuana charge for me, gave me one of his roaches, and then arrested me for it.
He carried a nice supply of various drugs with him to plant on anyone he didn’t like, so they must be doing this regularly.
My reply to them would be ( even if in court)
was the container for the “substance” finger printed? if so who’s prints were on it
Because you know yours wouldn’t be for sure , but chances are the cops prints would be , and protocol for evidence is rubber gloves and baggies , soooo officer liar .. who’s drugs are those anyways?
I can bet you with that line of questioning there would be some serious back pedaling, because as we well know.. the cops are not the brightest bulb in the pack , and would not think that far ahead
I live in Gwinnett county, just northeast of Atlanta. These fu%ckin pigs live and breathe to destroy lives for revenue. They prey on every single innocent person they can get their hands on to put money in their coiffures. I have two children that have had their lives decimated by these bastards for having minute amounts of marijuana (basically roaches) planted in their car. I have an unusually high amount of hatred for these disgusting, arrogant, egotistic, steroid using bastards. Fu*k the pigs
“The woman’s attorney told Channel 2’s Carl Willis she doesn’t feel safe in Gwinnett County anymore.”
She hasn’t yet come to the realization that NO county is safe from the ICM enforcers.