Elizabeth H. Spillman is seeking $250,000 in damages in a lawsuit filed Monday in Roanoke’s federal court.
Spillman, 68, had just dropped a friend off at FloydFest the night of July 23, 2021, when she was stopped by Ranger James Lyon, who then arrested her on charges of DUI and impeding police based on evidence that was later disproved, according to the lawsuit.
“In addition to fabricating the reasons for arrest, Lyon manhandled, violently gripped, roughed up and touched Ms. Spillman in an inappropriate manner…stripping her blouse off while transporting her and then taking a long time to make sure her exposed body was properly covered,” the lawsuit alleges.
A judge in Floyd County General District Court dismissed the DUI charge against Spillman, according to court records, and prosecutors chose to drop the impeding police charge.
Many of the claims detailed in the 22-page lawsuit are based on footage from Lyon’s body camera and surveillance videos from the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, where Spillman was taken for processing, her attorney, Alan Graf, said.
The lawsuit accuses Lyon of parading his “catch” past other law enforcement officials, and claims...
As he said he would on Sunday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation case against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick this morning over a story that characterizes him as an inc...