State Trooper Accused Of Groping Woman During Traffic Stop Cleared Of Charges

Dashcam video of a controversial police pat-down on a female Tennessee driver was released Tuesday. The woman claimed, in a $100,000 lawsuit against a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper, that he used his authority to search her without cause, groped her and reportedly waited three hours near her house in order to stop her again, in an incident that occurred in August last year, reports said Tuesday.

Prosecutors in Campbell County, Tennessee, however, said on Monday, trooper Isaiah Lloyd was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in two traffic stops of Patricia Wilson on Aug. 16.

The district attorney general's office in Tennessee reviewed the dashcam footage of the incident and Lloyd's actions before clearing him of any kind of criminal charges.

In a statement, the DA's office found Lloyd’s actions could not, "form the basis for any criminal charge against him."

"Our review of this matter revealed that Trooper Lloyd's actions were inconsistent with his training and Tennessee Department of Safety General Orders," the statement said.

"However, we do not believe that Trooper Lloyd's actions during his encounters with Ms. Wilson in Campbell County on August 16, 2017 form the basis for any criminal charge against him."

The Tennessee Highway Patrol however, disagreed with the district attorney’s office that there had been any breach of professionalism on Lloyd ’s part.

"After careful consideration and review, the Tennessee Highway Patrol Command Staff has advised me that Trooper Isaiah Lloyd conducted this traffic stop in a professional manner in an effort to protect the motoring public," THP Col. Tracy Trott said in a statement.

Wilson claimed the highway patrol trooper used his police powers to sexually harass her, in the lawsuit, the Daily Mail reported.

The first traffic stop was said to have occurred on Interstate 75 in Northeast Tennessee, located near the Kentucky border. Wilson was on her way to her evening janitorial job when the officer pulled her over for not wearing a safety belt.

The dashcam video showed Lloyd asking the woman if she is under the influence as she steps out of her vehicle, a black pickup truck.

"No, I do no drugs, no nothing, swear to God," Wilson replied.

The trooper then has her place her hands on the hood of his vehicle and bend over, and was then seen patting down her waistband area for around 15 seconds.

He was then seen asking her to shake out her bra in order to show there is nothing hidden in it. The officer then continued to question Wilson about drug use and administered field sobriety tests, which lasted about six minutes. Lloyd ticketed Wilson for not wearing a seat belt, which was later dropped by the district attorney's office.

The second stop was made about three hours later, when Lloyd pulled her over once more when Wilson was returning from work in the same truck along with her two children, ages eight and three, in the vehicle.

The video from the second stop however, does not show the woman come out of her vehicle and their conversation cannot be heard.

According to the lawsuit, Lloyd reportedly told Wilson during that stop: "We have to stop meeting like this."

Lloyd has returned on active duty.