A Las Cruces woman has been charged $1,122 by a local hospital for a forcible body cavity search ordered by the Metro Narcotics Agency that did not turn up any illegal substances.
She is now asking the county to pay her hospital bill.
The woman, who is not being named because she was not arrested or criminally charged, was searched at Memorial Medical Center on July 1, according to a tort claim notice Las Cruces attorney Michael Lilley served to the county this week.
The woman is refusing to pay the $1,122 she was subsequently billed for the body cavity search, the tort claim notice shows.
Metro Sgt. Mike Alba said agents had “credible information from a reliable source” that the woman was concealing up to an ounce of heroin, leading to the search warrant from Magistrate Court. The woman, who has no criminal history in New Mexico, was in custody for several hours…
The county has a policy of not commenting on threatened or pending litigation.
Idiots. So much for what Las Cruces considers credible and reliable.
Thanks, Cinaedh
$1,122 for a body cavity search?
How much does a flash light and plastic gloves cost in Las Cruces?
We need to all start smiling at any and all LEO.
Yep! What we all need is more government in our lives! I mean, they are perfect, never make mistakes, and only serve to make our lives easier! I cant wait for Obamacare to fully go in to effect! Nothing could possibly go wrong with the government getting involved in our every day life!
# 3 Derek, if Obamacare was fully into effect, the hospital would have never billed her!
#1 that’s the fee from the hospital, not the cavity search. Obviously the cavity search injured her and she needed hospital care. However that’s cheap fee to pay, considering my ambulance ride was over $1300.
Soooo she was accused of “snatching” heroin?
First of all, heroin should be legal. Second of all since when do the police go to a hospital for a cavity search? Third of all, don’t women usually charge FOR this instead of BEING charged?
Forth of all, the hospital is both overcharging and charging the wrong party. Who exactly requested the search?
If Obramacare was already in effect, the poor woman would have alredy had that $1122 sodomized out of her by the government, so she wouldn’t have been billed extra.
Are all Republicans waiting for Obamacare to treat their OCD?
Yay! Government wrongfully screwed this women from every angle and orifice, but we only care that she has a bill! Liberals sure have their priorities straight!
#4, Correct.
But she would have still paid for it through higher costs on everything she bought. Let’s keep our eye on the ball, here. Medical Care isn’t pulled out of a hat.
#5 hugsalot
The search was conducted at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruses. Most likely by a licensed medical professional in an examination room.
Holy shit! An entire ounce? Whatever will we do, she could have brought down the whole law and order system with such a HUGE amount!
I think everyone involved except the victim should run for Congress. They’d fit right in.
Nothing in the story about a warrant and judicial oversight. Smells fishy and illegal.
No jokes, please.
I read something very similar to this some years back – at an airport, the government forced a body cavity search that yields nothing (the victim was hand cuffed to the bed), and to add gross insult to injury, the victim of the cavity search was billed for the search rather than the government that mandated the search.
Billing the victim of the no-result body cavity search rather than the government that ordered it pissed me off then and still pisses me off now.
She didn’t ask to get raped by the law, let the law pay for it.
What? The budget of the town of Las Cruces can’t afford it?
Tough!
You should have thought of that before you caught a innocent woman, didn’t believe her and and subjected her to that treatment.
And what if she had been carrying heroin?
Woud you have paid under those circumstances?
Another sad tale from the drug war.
Isn’t this a violation of Medical Records and the HIPAA Privacy Rule?
Maybe she should pay for it; enabling her, to sue the hospital’s deep pockets for violation of her medical records along with suing the cops!!
She was probably given two choices for the search:
1. The County Jail
2. Nice clean Hospital with medical personnel.
She chose the one that would send a bill. I don’t think medical folks generally touch you without your consent.
UN International Criminal Court web site. “It is by now a settled rule of customary international law that crimes against humanity do not require a connection to international armed conflict.” Crimes within the Court’s Jurisdiction http://bit.ly/oAT7dJ
I hope she sues the sheet out of NM.
“reliable information from a credible source”….. NOT!
I get it. Pedro’s going to volunteer to perform the cavity searches on the Irish priests.
Send the bill to Obama, let Obama Care pay for it. Then sue the individuals involved in the search personally, not the agencies. The doctor or nurse and each office for rape. Sue for the name of the “tipster” and sue him personal as well.
This right here is exactly how it worked in Germany with the Stazi. Huge numbers of people were ratted on not because they did anything illegal, but because of personal vendettas.
Nice to know that getting an 1122 dollar bill is more outrageous than her getting violated because she “might” have drugs. Are people REALLY this supportive of the war on drugs that they thing government forced molestation is ok? If someone wants drugs so badly that they will hide it in their ass or vagina, then let them have the drugs. Sink all the money spent on the “war on drugs” and dump it into rehabs. It will do far more to combat drugs than paying doctors to inspect ass holes or vaginas.
paying to fly deserves an ass raping.. buy your own plane!
When they catch someone in this country illegally a forced cavity search should be automatic procedure.
And, who said she was an undocumented worker? Likely at your age their isn’t much body left to search or you are so obese they couldn’t search you.
The County paid the bill:
http://lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_18844890
I had a cavity, but I had if filled.