6 Strip Searches in 11 Days Led to Deputy's Arrest

Floyd Berry faces official oppression charges
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 10, 2019 3:41 PM CST
Deputy Arrested After Allegedly Strip-Searching 6 Women in 11 Days
Floyd Berry   (Bexar County Sheriff's Office)

If it seems excessive to you for a sheriff's deputy to allegedly conduct six strip searches on six women over a period of a week and a half, well, it also seemed excessive to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. Floyd Berry, an 18-year member of the Texas department, was arrested late Saturday after the alleged conduct, which authorities believe took place between Nov. 24 and Dec. 4, mySanAntonio.com reports. The 49-year-old patrol deputy is facing three counts of official oppression for what authorities say were at least six unlawful strip searches, per mySA; KSAT puts the number of victims who have come forward at five, and notes two of their cases are still under investigation and have not yet amounted to charges. KENS 5 also has the number as six, and says authorities believe there could be more. Berry was also issued a proposed termination, which mySA calls "tantamount to firing."

Several alleged victims, who police say were between ages 26 and 52, reported the strip searches to the department, and Berry had already been placed on administrative duty prior to his arrest as an investigation was launched. KSAT obtained the affidavit with details of three of the incidents; one woman says Berry stopped her and a male companion at a Shell gas station, took her alone into his patrol car, and told her "to remove her clothing so he could search her," which she did. Another woman says he stopped her and her husband, took her aside, and repeatedly ordered her "to lift her bra and shake." The third woman, whom Berry arrested on two outstanding felony warrants, says that while he was taking her to the magistrate's office he ordered her to strip, and that "she could visually see that Deputy Floyd Berry was sexually aroused." (More police misconduct stories.)

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