CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A judge says charges against a black man who was strip searched during a traffic stop in Tennessee have been dropped.
News outlets report the order involving 41-year-old James Myron Mitchell was made official Thursday at the Hamilton County courthouse.
Meanwhile, Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston continues to investigate potential excessive force during the traffic stop. A deputy’s affidavit says he stopped a car for dark-tinted windows and smelled marijuana. The affidavit says Mitchell said he smoked a joint and another deputy found a small marijuana bag.
It says Mitchell was combative, reached to his waistband and a deputy kneed him. Dashcam footage shows deputies searching Mitchell’s partly pulled-down boxers. The affidavit says Mitchell tried kicking them, a deputy hit him and they found a crack cocaine bag in Mitchell’s underwear and a used syringe nearby.
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