Woman suing Phoenix police over cavity search files records complaint

PHOENIX — The woman suing the city of Phoenix over an allegedly illegal body cavity search and cover-up filed a complaint Wednesday in relation to public records requests.

Erica Reynolds filed two requests for public records in early February that have been pending for over five months, according to a Poder in Action press release.

The complaint asks the Maricopa County Superior Court to compel the city to produce the records, award damages and rule that the city’s public records procedure is in violation of state law.

It alleges that after Reynolds hand-delivered a public records request to the city and received confirmation that it had been received, the city later said it had “no record” of the request.

According to court documents, police said a long-term investigation had identified Reynolds as a co-conspirator in a drug trafficking ring, which led to the Dec. 26 body cavity search.

Reynolds filed a $12.5 million notice of claim last month alleging that police sexually assaulted her during the search and left her bleeding and in need of medical attention.

The claim said the cavity search was conducted after an illegal arrest, without a warrant or medical professional present.

Reynolds also said police refused to investigate her complaints or authorize the hospital to complete a rape kit examination.

After Reynolds filed the claim, Phoenix police said the officer who conducted the search had been suspended months prior after an internal investigation.

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