BLACK HAWK COUNTY, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) - A civil lawsuit alleges an Iowa State Patrol trooper has a history of bullying citizens and initiating illegal searches.
Dominic Tangen of Black Hawk County is suing Trooper Bryce Bilharz, alleging he’s guilty of “humiliating and bullying” citizens, and Trooper Michelle Beck of the Iowa State Patrol in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
In his lawsuit, Tangen alleges that on the afternoon of July 12, 2023, he was northbound on Highway 63 in Bremer County when he was pulled over by Bilharz, who correctly suspected Tangen’s car windows were tinted darker than allowed by Iowa law.
During the stop, Bilharz allegedly asked Tangen “about the red tint inside his mouth,” and Tangen replied that he had acetaminophen tablets dissolving on his tongue, adding that he often used the pain reliever to help manage pain related to sciatica in his legs. A bottle of acetaminophen tablets was sitting in plain view in the passenger seat, the lawsuit claims.
At that point, the lawsuit alleges, Bilharz frisked Tangen, searched him, placed him in his patrol car and asked him to submit to field sobriety tests. Tangen agreed but allegedly told Bilharz he might be unable to keep his balance due to his sciatica.
In his police report, Bilharz said he observed indicators of impairment during Tangen’s performance of the “walk and turn test” and the “one-leg stand test” — although, the lawsuit claims, a preliminary breathalyzer test...
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