Tosta Dojen
Regular Member
On May 6, 2009, Roanoke City police officers Jamie Kwiecinski and Dwight Ayers accused me of violating a Virginia law that requires citizens with Concealed Handgun Permits to submit to questioning about their possession of firearms. On the basis of that allegation, they forcibly removed me from my truck, placed me in handcuffs, seized my handgun, performed thorough searches of my person and my truck, persistently interrogated me in spite of my requests for legal counsel, stuffed me in the back of a police car, and kept me in their custody for about an hour.
The law they accused me of violating does not exist.
I subsequently filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court to hold the officers accountable for their grievous violations of my civil rights. On July 23, 2010, Chief District Judge Glen Conrad dismissed the suit, ruling that because the officers believed they were acting appropriately, they are entitled to qualified immunity, and cannot be sued.
The court effectively held that the officers' ignorance of the law serves as an excuse for violating my civil rights. I intend to appeal the decision.
Recordings, transcripts, and filings are available at http://stevenson-v-kwiecinski.donortools.com/
The law they accused me of violating does not exist.
I subsequently filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court to hold the officers accountable for their grievous violations of my civil rights. On July 23, 2010, Chief District Judge Glen Conrad dismissed the suit, ruling that because the officers believed they were acting appropriately, they are entitled to qualified immunity, and cannot be sued.
The court effectively held that the officers' ignorance of the law serves as an excuse for violating my civil rights. I intend to appeal the decision.
Recordings, transcripts, and filings are available at http://stevenson-v-kwiecinski.donortools.com/