A Jackson County woman is suing the Ray County Sheriff’s Office for what she alleges were illegal searches, including one in which she had to squat naked in front of the officers.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed last month in U.S. District Court, the body searches were conducted while the sheriff’s investigators were determining if she was concealing drugs following her arrest for possession of methamphetamines after a traffic stop.
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The woman alleges that after Matthew Cowan, a Ray County deputy, initiated a traffic stop near Highway 210 in September 2022, the sheriff’s office carried out a number of illegal searches.
The Star is not naming the woman because court documents show she has previously been a victim of sexual abuse. The forced bodily cavity search was “extremely traumatic” for her, and she cried and became emotional at the hospital where it occurred, according to the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, Cowan did not follow state law’s guidelines for conducting such searches.
The lawsuit claims that in April, the state of Missouri dismissed all charges against the woman.
Randall Rhodes, a Leawood attorney representing the woman, declined to comment on the report.
The complaint names Ray County, the Ray County Sheriff’s Office, former Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers, Cowan, and another law enforcement official as defendants.
The sheriff’s office is now managed by interim Sheriff Bart Willim, who is also the Ray County coroner, after Childers was removed from office earlier this year following a preliminary finding by a judge in a legal case brought by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Childers is presently campaigning for re-election in the August primary, just as Bailey’s office’s case is due to go to trial in Ray County Circuit Court in September.
In response to a message seeking comment on the complaint, Childers stated that he did not know the plaintiff or have any knowledge of the alleged occurrence.
Willim declined to comment, citing that the incident occurred prior to his service with the agency.
An employee who answered the phone at the Ray County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday stated that Cowan, who was previously a corporal in the department, was no longer employed by the office. They claimed he hadn’t been with the department in about a year.
Cowan is currently commissioned by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and holds a valid peace officer license, according to Mike O’Connell, a Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesperson.
Attempts to contact Cowan for this story were fruitless.
The lawsuit includes 12 counts of false arrest, unlawful strip search, assault, battery, and other accusations.
Series of searches
According to the lawsuit, Cowan allegedly pulled over the woman’s Acura vehicle while she was a passenger. The complaint alleges that Cowan “pulled over the Acura for expired plates and the fact that the plates purportedly belonged to a different vehicle.”
The lawsuit claims Cowan had no probable reason for the traffic stop.
During the stop, Cowan asked permission to search the vehicle, but the lawsuit claims he lacked probable cause and a search warrant. Although Cowan asserts that he received permission to search the vehicle, the complaint asserts that he can’t remember who granted him this authority.
Cowan reportedly found a black bag containing “multiple items related to the use of narcotics.” The lawsuit claims that those objects were lighters and empty bags that contained no residue or other evidence of illegal substances.
Cowan then sought permission to inspect the car’s lockable glove box, which the woman denied. According to the lawsuit, Cowan reported that a police dog alerted at the front passenger door of the automobile.
“Despite lacking a proper warrant or consent from the plaintiff, Cowan forced open the glove box,” the complaint stated. “He says he found a little black-zipped purse. Cowan opened the zippered pouch without a warrant or the plaintiff’s consent. “He claims he discovered bags containing methamphetamines,” the lawsuit alleged.
They arrested the woman for possessing methamphetamines and sent her to the Ray County Jail. She was forced to kneel naked in front of the sheriff’s deputies so they could see if she was hiding drugs. According to court filings, they found no narcotics.
The complaint stated that Cowan, not satisfied, took the plaintiff to the Ray County Memorial Hospital and forced her to undergo a complete strip search and an invasive body cavity search. Cowan handcuffed the plaintiff and held her the entire time.
According to court filings, the woman was unaware she could have objected to the bodily cavity search, which had no probable cause in the first place, as the lawsuit claimed.
According to the lawsuit, the woman sustained “significant physical, mental, and emotional damages and injuries” as a result, and she is seeking compensation.
