Lawsuit: Officer Dumped Daughter's Ashes While Searching Man

[matcom]

<snip>

MOUNT DORA, Fla. -- A man is suing this city and one of its police officers for allegedly dumping his infant daughter's ashes during a drug search.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Lake Circuit Court, accuses Mount Dora and officer Brad Cline of illegally stopping and searching Jason Burnham, 34, as he was walking home after Hurricane Charley.

Cline allegedly emptied the ashes from a cross-shaped pendant Burnham was wearing because he suspected it held cocaine.

"This is probably the most mean-spirited violation of a person's civil rights that I have seen in many years," said Winter Park lawyer Howard Marks, one of Burnham's attorneys. "That conduct is not acceptable -- it's not warranted."

James Yatsuk, mayor of the town about 30 miles northwest of Orlando, would not comment on the case.

Cline resigned from the police department three months ago to run a mortgage-brokering business. However, he still works as a reserve officer on undercover and drug cases, said police Lt. Roger Chilton. A phone number for a Brad Cline was disconnected Tuesday and he could not be reached for comment.

Chilton said the department stands by an internal investigation that determined Burnham's allegations couldn't be proven.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/4799075/detail.html

[In_The_Wind]

1. just great ... poor man as if he wasn't already in enough pain

damn more bad news in Florida

[SoCalDem]

2. In the 70's, at O'Hare airport

the security guards freaked out a couple of older Japanese men by stirring their mother's ashes with a pencil.. The men did not speak english, and the guards just opened the box and stirred.. The men started crying and carrying on.. Finally police came and calmed everyone down. They were taking her ashes back to Japan..

[jilln]

3. The police investigated themselves and found nothing?

I'm shocked, I tell ya, just shocked!!!