Strip-search lawsuits consolidated

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August 1, 2008

By BOB GIBBINS

MUSKOGEE – Two civil suits filed in federal court concerning an alleged unlawful cavity search of a Tahlequah woman were consolidated Thursday.

The consolidation of a suit Christie Vaughn has filed against the city of Tahlequah and Cherokee County Detention Center was joined with a case Vaughn filed last month against Loyd Bickel, Beth Collins, Cindy Matthews, Sylvia Holmes, Steve Farmer, David Huffman, Chandra Hickey and Misty Davis.

U.S. District Judge Ronald White chose to merge the cases in response to a motion filed by CCDC, court rulings state.

CCDC wanted the cases combined because they deal with the same evidence and set of circumstances. Their request states it would save the court time and money to join the two cases.

Vaughn’s attorneys James Cosby and Crystal Jackson opposed combining the cases.

The case against CCDC and the city was scheduled to be tried Monday. White has now delayed the trial date until the October docket.

Vaughn was stopped by Huffman and taken to the police department, where she was strip-searched. She was then taken to CCDC for as many as two cavity searches. No drugs or paraphernalia were found as a result of the searches, which Vaughn states were done without a warrant.

A settlement conference between attorneys for Vaughn, the city and CCDC ended without the parties reaching an agreement. In that suit, Vaughn seeks damages of $1 million from each defendant; damages in excess of $10,000 are sought in the suit naming the individual defendants.

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