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Bronx Man Says Police Illegally Cavity Searched Him
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 2, 2011
Modified Feb 2, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 2, 2011
Modified Feb 2, 2011
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A Bronx man is suing the city because he says cops conducted an illegal body cavity search on him last fall. Shawn Schenck said he was on his way to buy cigarettes at a deli and pizza place in the Bronx when he and four other men were arrested by police, and forcibly searched for drugs as Schenck yelled, "You're violating me." His mistake was in assuming that he wouldn't be cavity searched while trying to purchase cigarettes; he's actually lucky they didn't forcibly send him for a psych evaluation.
It seems that police were busting a Bronx drug crew at the Green Valley Deli and Pizza at 158th St. and Park Ave. on Sept. 15 when Schenck walked in, and was inadvertently assumed to be part of the crew. In the lawsuit, Scheck claims that one of the five officers on the scene took him outside, put on rubber gloves, then proceeded to reach inside his jeans, feel around his testicles and probe his anus. He claims that this was done in front of 40 people, and that police didn't have a search warrant for the probe, which is required (it's not the TSA, after all). Afterward, Schenck was detained for three hours; according to spokeswoman Deputy Inspector Kim Royster, a supervisor reviewed surveillance footage proving that the married Bronx father wasn't part of the drug crew, and was released. Police claim there was no cavity search, only a frisking.
Schenck says that since the incident, he's felt humiliated, and had to put up with the jokes and jests of his friends and neighbors, ruining his reputation: "After what happened, people were looking at me sideways. People were cracking jokes for like two months. This thing gave me a whole bunch of anxiety."
Tagged
bronx
cavity search
cops
illegal search
lawsuit
nypd
shawn schenck
warrant
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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