Officer did not unreasonably prolong the traffic stop, and the dog sniff was supported by reasonable suspicion.
Facts: William Jefferson Brown was arrested after a traffic stop that arose from a narcotics surveillance operation. A detective received a tip from a confidential informant that narcotics were going to be delivered to and sold from a residence in Killeen, Texas, so the detective surveilled the residence. The detective learned that two brothers with […]
Quickness and severity of force not proportionate to misdemeanor offense and passive resistance
Facts At around 2:00 a.m. on January 15, 2023, Austin Police Department (APD) Officers Perez, Pierron, and Pastore were on patrol on Sixth Street following bar closures. Officer Perez believed he observed Louis Flores grab the reins of a police horse named Lucky, ridden by Corporal Kilgore. Whether Flores actually pulled Lucky’s reins is disputed. […]
Qualified immunity for officers in school parking lot incident
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) On August 19, 2021, Santa Fe Independent School District (SFISD) Chief Ruben Espinoza monitored traffic in front of the Roy J. Wollam Elementary School during morning drop-off hours. He was tasked with, inter alia, preventing illegal left-hand turns into the school parking lot. […]
1983 case from Benton County, Mississippi
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) Chelsea Knighton was married to Rob Graves. Kathy Graves, Rob’s mother and Knighton’s then-mother-in-law, is the Circuit Clerk of Benton County. Knighton and Kathy have had a long and difficult relationship. This incident took place after several years of drug-related issues. According to […]
Factual dispute in deadly force matter
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) Early in the morning of September 14, 2022, Sgt. Iversen pulled Timothy Randall over for failure to fully stop at a stop sign at the intersection of State Highways 42 and 64 in Rusk County, Texas. The parties dispute whether justification existed for […]
An officer is entitled to qualified immunity even when he reasonably but mistakenly concludes that probable cause is present.
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) The following is depicted in bodycam footage, which both sides rely on. Around 2:00 a.m. on May 27, 2023, several deputies, including Deputies Valdez and Aldrich, arrived at Lance Parsons’s home. The deputies were there to arrest Parsons’s adult son, Alexander, for domestic […]