In a story that will surely cause you to question what has happened to this country, a simple traffic stop led to a demeaning and nightmarish ordeal for a New Mexico man.
The incident began on Jan. 2 as David Eckert was leaving the local Walmart in Deming, N.M. He reportedly failed to make a complete stop at a stop sign, prompting police to pull him over.
The officers asked him to step out of the vehicle and claim the man appeared to be clenching his buttocks, Eckert’s attorney, Shannon Kennedy, told TheBlaze. It is unclear why police removed him from the vehicle in the first place. However, because the cops believed he was clenching his buttocks, they took it as reason to suspect him of hiding narcotics in his anal cavity.
Police officers then detained Eckert’s vehicle and sought a warrant to search his anal cavity. Remarkably, the police were able to obtain the warrant, but the doctor at the emergency room in the county refused to perform the anal cavity search because he believed it to be “unethical.” That prompted the police to take the now expired warrant to Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City, N.M., which led to Eckert endure several X-Rays, finger exams, enemas, and colonoscopies. No narcotics were ever found.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Eckert has now filed a civil rights lawsuit, and, on radio this morning, his attorneys Joe and Shannon Kennedy, joined Glenn to talk about their client’s ordeal.
“In one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard,” Glenn said. “I'm not a guy who sues people. Accidents happen, whatever. I don't sue people. I have to tell you, if this guy doesn't sue the hospital involved in this – not even a hospital, it's one of those urgent care places. If that isn't put out of business, and if this guy doesn't own the town where this happened, there is no justice. There is no way that this happens in America. There's no excuse for this. I don't care what your damn dog said. There is no excuse for this.”
The entire incident lasted about 12 hours. And to add insult to injury, Eckert was then billed by the urgent care facility for the procedures. One of Glenn’s first questions to the Kennedys was how all of this happened without him being able to contact his attorney.
“Where was his attorney,” Glenn asked. “Did he ask for an attorney?”
“Absolutely. But there's, you know, Glenn, there's no right to an attorney until you are charged with a crime. And he was not charged with a crime, ironically enough,” Joe said. “They found nothing in his car. They found nothing on him. And this man was never charged with a crime.”
“So if they don't charge you, they can just do this,” Glenn asked exasperatedly. “That's their case?”
“They can't. They can't. To some extent, the reassuring thing – it's clear – the Supreme Court has handled this before, a long time ago. And it's clear they can't do this. The problem is, we have a collection of law enforcement and doctors who don't know this. And a District attorney was involved in this!”
The Deming Police Chief has come out and defending the actions of his department, saying everything was done “by the book” – though it’s a book Eckert’s attorneys are unfamiliar with.
“So how come is the police chief now saying, ‘Look, we did everything by the book,’” Glenn asked. “What book? Mengele’s book? What book?”
“It's a book I'm not familiar with,” Joe conceded. “Not published in this country.”
Glenn still could not understand how something like this could possibly happen in a free society.
“How come they are not owning up to it – firing everybody? I have to tell you, if they would ever do something like this to me, I would go crazy. And I would sue the pants off them – no pun intended,” Glenn said. “But I would leave them with nothing. And I would want justice. However, if they immediately came and said, ‘Oh my gosh, this was completely out of control. Here's what we're going to do,’ I might be a little more lenient. But for anybody who is saying, ‘Look, we went by the book,’ it would only enrage me more. And I would say, ‘I want their children's, children's, children to pay’… I would ask you to advise your client, please, for the rest of us, please, do not settle the case. Please do not settle the case. Go for the throat. You have got to send a message.”
“We're happy to see the positive support that people have commented on this story and the positive support of people. He's very happy about that and feels very encouraged. He's a little bit of a prisoner in his own house now because obviously, who would go out on the streets after having this done to you,” Joe said. “That's the good thing about the media, Glenn. That's why we're so happy to be talking about this. You shine the light on this, they are not going to harass him or do anything to him at this point.”
“I tell you, if I were the governor, mayor, chief of police, whatever it is of the state, I would make it very clear: You're not covering anything up. We're going to be very clear, we're going to open books on everything. We're not going to hide anything because this has to be fumigated. I don't care if the guy had been in prison before. It doesn't mean that you can do this to a citizen,” Glenn said. “Guys, thank you very much. Joe and Shannon, let us know how we can help. Please stay in touch with us… You win this one. You win this one in a spectacular way, please. Thank you very much.”
Watch the entire interview below:
