On July 25, 2016, Amanda Houghton was hit from behind in her vehicle by another motorist, so she called 911 — for help. However, help was the last thing she would receive. Instead, she was sexually assaulted and falsely arrested.
After the accident, Houghton was naturally shaken up as she’d just been hit by a car traveling at 30 mph as she was sitting still. Her car was totaled.
Instead of realizing that Houghton could be in a mild state of shock, officer G Schatzman mistook her nervousness for intoxication.
Again, instead of providing the help Houghton called for, Schatzman began to treat her as a criminal. According to KUTV, a police report by officer G Schatzman indicates Amanda exhibited odd behavior and gave “short quick answers to questions and she was speaking rapidly. Amanda was unable to stand still and seemed to be making jerky movements,” when he came into contact with her.
Schatzman, who just knew that this innocent woman was a dangerous criminal, issued a field sobriety test. Houghton failed the field sobriety test, but this is common, especially among those who’ve just been in a dramatic accident.
Houghton was then placed in handcuffs and arrested for DUI. “I was shocked. Who arrests a sober person for DUI?” she said.
After being falsely accused of DUI and placed in handcuffs, Schatzman began to grope his victim. In the video, we can clearly see Schatzman prodding at the innocent woman’s breasts.
In Police State USA, pulling away from your armed captor who’s groping your private parts is a punishable offense.
“Don’t touch me!” says Houghton after this cop fondled her breasts.
“I can search you,” says Schatzman, asserting his state-granted power to legally sexually assault women in the name of falsely arresting them.
Naturally, the police department is standing behind their officer’s decision to grope Houghton too.
Lt. Travis Lyman said his officer did the arrest by the book and had reasonable suspicion that Amanda was DUI. He said the search around her breasts is taught in the police academy. Male officers do it when a female officer is not around, according to KUTV.
“That’s standard practice. Anytime someone gets arrested they are going to be searched,” he said. However, police had no reason to arrest her.
After being kidnapped by the armed man who previously sexually assaulted her, Houghton was given a blood test by police. No drugs or alcohol were found in her system. Just for good measure, Houghton was brought to the hospital and given a second blood test — also negative.
Houghton has since retained counsel and is pursuing legal action against her aggressors. In spite of the blood test showing this cop had no reason to arrest her, the city is refusing to drop the charges.
Jonathan Nish, Houghton’s criminal defense attorney, is pushing for the charges to be dropped.
“I don’t’ believe they should have administered the field sobriety tests at all in this case,” he said.
Houghton also retained another attorney to help her seek legal action. Attorney Robert Sykes, who has put the City of Layton on notice that they are seeking legal action, said the officer had no basis for the DUI suspicion in the first place, and the search of her person was a violation of Houghton’s constitutional rights.
“I think this amounted to an unconstitutional search of a woman without a necessity to do so,” he said.
As you watch the video below, remember that this woman had committed no crime. She had harmed no one. And, she was the one who called the police for help.
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