The case of a female Texas trooper who faces a sexual assault trial reveals the thin line law enforcement officers can tread between performing their job and breaking the law.
CBS 11 News reported Dallas County Grand Jury recently indicted trooper Kelley Helleson on two counts of sexual assault and two counts of official oppression.
The charges stemmed from a roadside cavity search of two Texas woman, which was captured on dashcam video.
Helleson’s attorney has maintained his client passed a tough lie detector test, and did not assault or fondle Angela and Ashley Dobbs.
“Experts say the cavity search conducted on the side of the road raises the question of how the trooper was trained in the first place,” reported CBS.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently announced that Helleson will be terminated after she carried out a cavity search of the motorists, who are now suing her along with another trooper.
DPS says “Any search that unreasonably invades the bodily integrity of a citizen is in violation of the Fourth Amendment and is therefore in violation of DPS policy,” CBS reported.
The Grand Jury has also indicted fellow Trooper David Farrell, who was with Helleson, on a theft charge, after Angela Dobbs complained her prescription bottle of painkillers went missing after the search. No drugs were found in the troopers’ search.
DPS has not terminated Farrell who remains suspended pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.
According to reports the investigations against both troopers could place other investigations into jeopardy because the DA’s office can’t sponsor their testimony in cases they were involved in.
