This 4 On Your Side investigation looks into the actions of police officers and doctors in Southern New Mexico.
A review of medical records, police reports and a federal lawsuit show deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, police officers with the City of Deming and medical professionals at the Gila Regional Medical Center made some questionable decisions.
The incident began January 2, 2013 after David Eckert finished shopping at the Wal-Mart in Deming. 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 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.
The lawsuit claims that Deming Police tried taking Eckert to an emergency room in Deming, but a doctor there refused to perform the anal cavity search citing it was “unethical.”
But physicians at the Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City agreed to perform the procedure and a few hours later, Eckert was admitted.
What Happened
While there, Eckert was subjected to repeated and humiliating forced medical procedures. A review of Eckert’s medical records, which he released to KOB, and details in the lawsuit show the following happened:
1. Eckert’s abdominal area was x-rayed; no narcotics were found.
2. Doctors then performed an exam of Eckert’s anus with their fingers; no narcotics were found.
3. Doctors performed a second exam of Eckert’s anus with their fingers; no narcotics were found.
4. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
5. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema a second time. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
6. Doctors penetrated Eckert’s anus to insert an enema a third time. Eckert was forced to defecate in front of doctors and police officers. Eckert watched as doctors searched his stool. No narcotics were found.
7. Doctors then x-rayed Eckert again; no narcotics were found.
8. Doctors prepared Eckert for surgery, sedated him, and then performed a colonoscopy where a scope with a camera was inserted into Eckert’s anus, rectum, colon, and large intestines. No narcotics were found.
Throughout this ordeal, Eckert protested and never gave doctors at the Gila Regional Medical Center consent to perform any of these medical procedures.
“If the officers in Hidalgo County and the City of Deming are seeking warrants for anal cavity searches based on how they’re standing and the warrant allows doctors at the Gila Hospital of Horrors to go in and do enemas and colonoscopies without consent, then anyone can be seized and that’s why the public needs to know about this,” Kennedy said.
Search Warrant Concerns
There are major concerns about the way the search warrant was carried out. Kennedy argues that the search warrant was overly broad and lacked probable cause. But beyond that, the warrant was only valid in Luna County, where Deming is located. The Gila Regional Medical Center is in Grant County. That means all of the medical procedures were performed illegally and the doctors who performed the procedures did so with no legal basis and no consent from the patient.
In addition, even if the search warrant was executed in the correct New Mexico county, the warrant expired at 10 p.m. Medical records show the prepping for the colonoscopy started at 1 a.m. the following day, three hours after the warrant expired.
“This is like something out of a science fiction film, anal probing by government officials and public employees,” Kennedy said.
No Comment
KOB reached out to the attorneys representing the defendants in the lawsuit and all declined to comment on the situation. The attorneys said it’s their personal policy not comment on pending litigation.
4 On Your Side Investigative Reporter Chris Ramirez cornered Deming Police Chief Brandon Gigante.
“As the police chief what reassurances could you give people when they come through your town that they won’t be violated or abused by your police officers?” Ramirez asked Chief Gigante.
“We follow the law in every aspect and we follow policies and protocols that we have in place,” Chief Gigante replied.
“Do you think those officers in this particular case did that?” Ramirez asked.
Gigante didn’t answer, instead he referred Ramirez to his attorney.
The Lawsuit
David Eckert is suing The City of Deming and Deming Police Officers Bobby Orosco, Robert Chavez and Officer Hernandez.
Eckert is also suing Hidalgo County Hidalgo County Deputies David Arredondo, Robert Rodriguez and Patrick Green.
Eckert is also suing Deputy District Attorney Daniel Dougherty and the Gila Regional Medical Center including Robert Wilcox, M.D and Okay Odocha, M.D.
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3209305.shtml?cat=500#.Unk82vnbOSr
WTF is wrong with this country?!
If I was this man, it would be time to go “hunting”.
From the cops involved to the doctors agreeing to this outrageous treatment.
Oh yes, most definately. screw the lawsuit. They would have to Dorner me.
Its time..past time for open season. no license required.
you can arrest me,…cuff me…harass me…but you you stick your fingers in my ass or any other type of invasive sh*t to my body against my will……………….well im sure y’all can finish this sentence..
Well, folks, BEFORE we execute these psychopaths, I believe we should “do unto others what they do to us”. From body cavity searches on females along side roads, to stripping them naked in a jail cell and slamming their face on the concrete bench, to doing anal probes such as this story-it just seems to me their controllers must be some of the Nazi types brought here under “Paperclip”. Or could it be the Mossad types who do this to the Palestinian people on a daily basis? And how long till they do this at the airports, bus stations, train depots, mall entrances, sporting events, etc., etc.? How long-as long as we allow it to go on.
This incident is another conditioning exercise, by them, aimed at us. The footsoldiers of tyranny always do strange things to the citizenry and then use the media to distribute the “message:” DON’T F’K WITH US – OR ELSE.
Expect these sad events to continue to happen across America. As I have said before; they are not going to stop. Soon, if not already, everyone will be too scared to even whimper. Don’t believe me? Keep watching.
I agree, this will likely continue for much longer. I believe that until the actual perps (those cops, etc) that did this, have it happen to them, or have to (personally) pay restitution, they won’t get it.
If the day ever comes, wherein those officers would be stopped and searched such as this, they would likely scream rape, such as pigs at the gate, but still wouldn’t see themselves.
– Behavior that is rewarded will be repeated (and it’s opposite) – and in this case, those cops (unfortunately) will likely never suffer even a delay in the overtime pay they recieved on this 12+ hour arrest.
This is not meant to be funny what-so-ever…….. but for those waiting for the shit to hit the fan, well it literally has. i dont even think germany subjected the pow’s and other prisoners to this type of abuse. this is just plain sick. as another writer above indicated, this is a type of conditioning being implemented on the populace just as shoot first, ask later tactics on po-lice encounters with citizens and their animals esp. large breed dogs. speaking of the dogs, the po-lice shoot ours with aplomb…….but if you kill or injure a po-lice dog and you get charged with capital murder.
ok wait …….they Rape’d him then billed him for it!!!!!!!
They torture the guy then say they were just following orders. Where have I heard this before?
what is wrong with our country, if they had tried to do that to me they
WOULD have to kill me, cause one of those bastards would be dead,