Body-camera footage released showing incident in which police mistook daughter's ashes for drugs

[Judi Lynn]

BY SARAH POLUS - 05/21/21 09:08 PM EDT


Body camera footage was recently obtained by Illinois news outlets detailing the incident that caused a man to sue the City of Springfield after police officers "desecrated" his daughter's urn last year.

The footage, shared by Newschannel 20 and FOX Illinois, shows Dartavius Barnes being pulled over in April 2020. During the incident, officers opened his daughter's sealed urn and tested it for drugs.

Police searched Barnes's car during the traffic stop after he admitted to having marijuana in his car and allowed cops to investigate the vehicle.

The police officers pulled out a small metal object to test for drugs. They confronted Barnes, who was handcuffed in a squad car, claiming they had found an object that had tested positive for meth or ecstasy. A confused Barnes requested to see the object, and was presented with his daughter's urn.

"No, no, no, no bro, that's my daughter," Barnes can be seen saying on the footage as he reached for the urn. "Give me that bro, that's my daughter."

More:
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/554869-father-sues-police-who-mistook-daughters-ashes-for-drugs

[3Hotdogs]

1. I don't think he has much of a case.

He gave consent for the search.