An award-winning police officer from Virginia is accused of pulling men over for minor infractions, then sexually assaulting them on the side of the road in full view of the public, claiming to be searching for drugs.
Two lawsuits have been filed against Lynchburg police officer Garrett Waterman and another two lawsuits will probably be file soon, according to Cam Warren, the Virginia attorney representing the victims.
The first incident took place on July 21, 2020 after Waterman pulled a man over for squealing his tires which led the cop probing his anal cavity on the side of the road, according to the first lawsuit filed last year.
The second incident took place on September 29, 2020 after Waterman pulled a man over for dark tints on his windows which led to the cop conducting a strip search on the side of the road where he repeatedly fondled the man’s penis and testicles to search for drugs.
Cam Warren, the attorney representing both victims, asked us not to publish the names of the victims because they fear retaliation. The local media which first obtained the lawsuits redacted the names which is why they are blacked out in the lawsuits which you can read here and here.
Warren also says he plans to file at least two more lawsuits from other victims who were sexually assaulted by Waterman under similar circumstances, according to a statement he emailed PINAC:
“It is concerning that this officer continues to patrol the streets after video recorded incidents and what I believe to be well-founded lawsuits are pending. Our allegation is that this is abhorrent behavior, and there are more lawsuits to be filed against this particular officer. One incident for which we plan to file suit happened as recently as one month ago. The initial lawsuit filed for the first case against this officer was filed over a year ago. And still this officer patrols the streets in Lynchburg. This is not an indictment on the Lynchburg Police Department. They are a fine department that does excellent work in our community. This one officer is an exception to the rule.”
One of the victims was interviewed by ABC 13 and stated the following:
“His gloves are on. He puts his hand down the front of my pants, reaches in between my crotch and my testicles and all of that,” the plaintiff said in an interview. “He goes in the back of my pants and puts his hand in my rectum and swipes in like an upward motion I felt, like, a sharp pain.”
Another victim interviewed by ABC 13 stated the following:
“He grabs my private area and then I kind of look at him and pull away and I’m like, ‘sir, there is nothing down there. You do not have to do this’ Pretty much what he told me was, ‘stop resisting.’”
Below is a screenshot of Lynchburg Police policy that forbids these types of invasive searches.
Waterman joined the Lynchburg Police Department in 2018 and was named “Officer of the Month” in January 2019. In December 2019, he was named “Officer of the Year” by the Optimist Club of Lynchburg.
Below is a video recorded by a witness from one of the traffic stops but local media removed the audio because the witness was describing in detail that the man was being sexually assaulted. The attorney said he did not have a copy of the clip with audio.
