A Black Texas woman recently accused a police officer of sexually assaulting her during a traffic stop and now the Texas Department of Public Safety says it has a video that disproves the woman’s allegations, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Sherita Dixon-Cole of Waxahachie, Texas claims that she was pulled over by the officer early Sunday morning. According to her lawyer Lee Merritt, the officer allegedly offered to release her in exchange for sexual favors when she passed her breathalyzer test. When she refused, he went ahead and sexually assaulted her.
“Our office will not shirk its responsibility to afford these allegations the professionalism and gravity that they merit. Ms. Dixon-Cole deserves nothing less,” said Merritt in a statement.
Dixon-Cole’s story went viral on Monday after activist Shaun King shared her story on social media, even naming the alleged culprit as officer Daniel Hubbard of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
According to Dixon-Cole’s statement via King, “she was taken to Hubbard’s cruiser and forcefully groped, fondled and vaginally penetrated during a prolonged arrest that included assaults outside and inside of the police vehicle.”
When she was first pulled over, Dixon-Cole called her fiancé, who was able to briefly speak to her when he arrived at the scene, according to the Root. However, when her fiancé tried following the officer’s patrol car, he lost track of the vehicle.
It was during this time the police officer allegedly took Dixon-Cole to a remote area and tried to assault her.
Hubbard is said to have eventually grown frustrated with her rejections and took her to jail. When Dixon-Cole was eventually released hours later, according to Merritt, she immediately went to receive medical attention to “preserve any remaining evidence of the alleged assault.”
He adds that she made a claim of sexual assault, but it is not clear the authorities have followed up on her report.
However, authorities are disputing all of Dixon-Cole’s claims and say that they can prove that she is not telling the truth.
“Upon learning of the allegations today, the department immediately took action to review the dash cam video,” a statement from Department of Public Safety reads. “The video shows absolutely no evidence to support the serious accusations against the Trooper during the DWI arrest of the suspect.”
Officials say that they plan to release video of the incident as soon as possible.
“I am personally outraged by Ms. Dixon-Cole’s treatment—not only due to the horrible assault allegations, but in how her claim has been handled by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Wayne McCollum Detention Center where she first reported the attack,” Merritt told The Root.
