Sheriff claims deputies didn’t search lacrosse staff’s private items, body digicam shows otherwise

LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC/Grey News) - An incident that involved gamers from a college’s lacrosse staff and deputies in Georgia remains under investigation.

WTOC studies Delaware State College President Tony Allen launched a press release on Monday responding to the incident that reportedly occurred on April 20 in Liberty County.

Allen wrote Georgia law enforcement stopped a bus for a minor traffic violation with the Delaware State Lacrosse team on board. Deputies searched the belongings of the student-athletes, together with suitcases with drug-sniffing canines.

“100% you possibly can’t be in that left lane at all,” stated a Liberty County Sheriff’s Deputy.

The team was returning dwelling from a game in Florida and touring by a contracted bus, based on Allen.

Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman held a news conference concerning the incident but took no questions. He claimed that no personal items on the bus have been searched.

Body camera video obtained by WTOC, nonetheless, clearly confirmed the deputies going via the scholars’ luggage and even medication.

The university president wrote in his assertion that movies taken by players showed law enforcement attempting to intimidate them into confessing to possession of medication and/or drug paraphernalia.

“They didn’t actually ask us,” mentioned Sydney Anderson, a Delaware State Lacrosse Participant. “They knowledgeable us of what they’re gonna do and no one questioned them...we just allow them to rattle by way of our stuff.”

A participant on the bus asked: “How did we go from being in the wrong lane to going by means of our bags?”

A deputy responded: “Nicely, he stopped y’all, he didn’t stop y’all for a traffic violation...he stopped the driver for a traffic violation.”

Nothing illegal was found within the search, and Allen informed the general public that he has contacted Delaware’s governor, the Black Caucus and other state officials.

Allen wrote that everyone was incensed over the incident.

Allen also added the following:

“We do not intend to let this or every other incident prefer it move idly by. We are prepared to go wherever the evidence leads us. We have video. We have now allies. Maybe extra considerably, we have the braveness of our convictions.”

Allen concluded his assertion by writing, “We are going to never be bullied into believing something other than what we're: Americans, learners, lecturers, builders—helpful and honorable folks able to soar.”

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