McKinney Officer, Casebolt, Once Forced Black Motorist to Pull Down His Pants
The officer featured in the viral video slamming a teenage black girl to the ground and placing the full weight of his body onto her back was previously named in a lawsuit by a black driver. In the suit, the driver accused Officer David Eric Casebolt of racial profiling, excessive force, and falsifying reports.
In April 2007, Officer Casebolt, along with at least three other officers, were involved in a traffic incident which, according to the suit, escalated to a “visual body cavity search.” This incident led to the arrest and conviction of Albert Earl Brown, Jr. According to court documents, Brown states that he was set up.
In the lawsuit, Brown states that Casebolt profiled him, approached his parked vehicle, and addressed him about his clothing and his white female passengers. Casebolt allegedly forced down Brown’s pants and conducted a forcible search while Brown was restrained by a second officer who, allegedly, slammed Brown’s head onto the vehicle with the intention of causing harm.
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Brown insisted that the charges brought against him were fabricated in order to cover up Casebolt’s behavior.
The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed after Brown conceded that his incarceration made it impossible to obtain the evidence he would need to defend himself. He also claimed to lack an understanding of the court process.
Ironically, the lawsuit was filed the same year Officer Casebolt was recognized as Patrolman of the Year. Casebolt and his fellow officers denied any wrongdoing and suggested that they simply followed protocol after spotting marijuana seeds in the vehicle. The officers accused Brown of reaching for Casebolt’s gun, which led to the officer’s use of aggressive force.
Brown believes that there was a video recording of the entire incident that was not allowed into his trial. He alleges that his court-appointed attorney did not do his due-diligence to ensure that the video made it into evidence.
Casebolt is on administrative leave pending an investigation into his behavior that was documented on video by 15-year-old Brandon Brooks. That video has since been seen over 5 million times on YouTube and nearly 20 million times on Facebook.
Read Brown’s original legal complaint against McKinney officer HERE.
Update: Since this article was originally published, David Casebolt has resigned from the McKinney police department. No further details were present at the time of this update.