Clenched Buttocks, Multple Anal Probes, Colonoscopy, Drugs Found = Zero

[Gman]

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/...ion-settlement

A judge granted police a search warrant authorizing a probe "up to and including [Eckert's] anal cavity." The warrant's limits allegedly were exceeded by the colonoscopy and it's unclear why that procedure was necessary after enemas and X-rays did not reveal hidden drugs.

Eckert's lawsuit further alleged the colonoscopy was performed without consent. His attorney, Shannon Kennedy, told U.S. News in November her client was sent a $6,000 bill by the medical center. Eckert refused to pay the bill.

"This is essentially medical anal rape, numerous times over a 12-hour period," Kennedy said. "I can't imagine anything more horrifying than what happened to our client. It's just sadistic."

One possible reason for the fruitless pursuit of drugs is that authorities were using a drug-sniffing dog named Leo whose certification allegedly expired in April 2011. The dog, under the supervision of Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office deputies, signaled Eckert had drugs.

In at least one other case, Leo appears to have incorrectly alerted authorities to drugs, resulting in another innocent driver being brought to the same hospital for probing.

Timothy Young was anally probed at the Gila Regional Medical Center in October 2012 after being pulled over for allegedly failing to use his turn signal. The same law firm is representing Young, but it's unclear what the status of his case is.

KOB-TV reports that the city and county governments quietly settled with Eckert in December. The station learned the settlement amount from a public records request.

Eckert's lawsuit also named two doctors, the medical center and Deputy District Attorney Daniel Dougherty, who helped acquire the search warrant. Those defendants have not settled.

Among the alleged issues in Eckert's case were that the colonoscopy began on the morning of Jan. 3, 2013, hours after the search warrant expired.