Woman sues police officer for allegedly copying her nude photos during a traffic stop

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) - A woman is suing a former Missouri police officer who she claims copied photos from her phone during a traffic stop that showed her and her husband naked.

The case of John and Jane Doe versus the unnamed officer and the City of Florissant was filed Friday in St. Louis County. The plaintiffs allege counts of invasion of privacy, emotional distress and trespass against the officer and counts of negligence against the city, KMOV reports.

“Nobody expects this to happen. Nobody should have to go through this, to suffer this humiliation,” said the victims’ attorney, Rick Voytas. “It was important to Jane to take this to court because she felt very intimidated.”

According to the lawsuit, the unidentified officer pulled Jane Doe over in February for an alleged taillight infraction. The officer asked if she had insurance and allegedly told her to produce proof on her cellphone.

Jane Doe said the officer had her unlock the phone, and then, he took the device back to his cruiser. He allegedly disconnected the device from Bluetooth, so she could not access it.

The officer was in his cruiser with the device for an unusually long time then returned without issuing any ticket, according to the lawsuit.

“She thought it was strange that the officer took her phone from her without her consent, disconnected it from Bluetooth and took it back to the vehicle,” Voytas said.

In July, the FBI contacted Jane Doe and asked her to identify a photo of a naked woman.

“Jane was shocked. The naked photograph was of her: a photo that she had only ever exchanged with her husband, John,” the lawsuit states. “The FBI alerted Jane that this explicit photograph and others was discovered in the possession of a Florissant police officer.”

Florissant police said the officer is no longer employed and no other officers were involved. The department is cooperating with an FBI investigation into the allegations.

“We are deeply concerned by these allegations and want to assure the community that we take any claim of officer misconduct very seriously,” the department said. “The safety of everyone in our community remains our top priority. We hold our employees to a high standard of integrity and expect them to treat every member of our community with dignity and respect.”

The plaintiffs are asking for $25,000 or more in damages. They say they constantly worry their photos were shared with other people. They also say the officer involved has had other disciplinary issues and the City of Florissant should have been aware.

“Her motivation in this case is she’d like to show others that they can standup and be heard,” said Voytas of Jane Doe.

Other women have come forward to accuse the officer of taking nude pictures from their phones during traffic stops, according to Voytas. The alleged victims include a minor.

Voytas says the unnamed officer’s identity could be made public soon.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell’s office is also investigating the matter for potential criminal charges, a spokesperson told KMOV.

“We’re investigating the matter,” the spokesperson said. “If we file charges, we would announce them, given the obvious public interest.”

A trial date in the case has not been set.

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