Woman sues City of Laurie in federal court; alleges drivers who let others know about ‘speed traps’ are targeted
LAURIE, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday against the City of Laurie, claiming the city allows police officers to target drivers who let others on the road know about speed traps by flashing their headlights.
No court dates have been announced, yet. The city has been summoned. In court documents, the plaintiff demands a jury trial in the Western District of Missouri Central Division.
Evelyn Whitworth, of Gravois Mills, is the plaintiff and is suing the city, as well as Nick Shoemate, who is listed as a police officer in the complaint and on the city’s website. All four counts in the case allege a violation of civil rights, including a violation of the First Amendment.
The lawsuit claims that Shoemate pulled Whitworth over and issued a citation for “failure to dim” on Nov. 17, 2022, after she flashed her headlights to other drivers about a speed trap at the Bank of Versailles parking lot.
The lawsuit also claims Whitworth was detained and lectured by Shoemaker for about 10-15 minutes during a traffic stop and after issuing her the citation.
Court documents claim Shoemate admitted to Whitworth that he issued the ticket out of retaliation for flashing her headlights to let other drivers know of a police presence and that it made him “mad.”
The lawsuit claims the ordinance she was cited for does not exist. She had a court date for Jan. 30, 2023. Online court records indicate that case is still active and a counsel status hearing is set for 2 p.m. Monday, June 26 at the Morgan County Courthouse. A counsel status hearing was also held Monday.
The lawsuit claims the situation is a violation of her First Amendment rights, and claims it would be no different than telling someone about a police presence in a conversation.
