Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Plead guilty or else we drop all charges

Outlandish tactics by D.A. in pursuing drug conviction

District attorney Bonnie Dumanis
District attorney Bonnie Dumanis

On Tuesday (June 9), Devin Whitaker, a 23-year-old African-American with dreadlocks, filed suit against the county, sheriff William Gore, three sheriff's deputies, and others for unlawful arrest, excessive force, battery, negligence, and other alleged offenses.

On August 15 of last year, Whitaker was waiting to catch a trolley at the Lemon Grove trolley station. That day, the sheriff's department was participating in "Operation Lemon Drop," a dragnet operation in Lemon Grove. Whitaker charges that the sheriff's deputies illegally seized, detained, and searched him, looking for drugs or drug paraphernalia.

Sponsored
Sponsored

According to the suit, the deputies found a meth pipe at the trolley station and claimed it was Whitaker's. However, says the suit, there were no fingerprints indicating it was his. Whitaker says the deputies claimed that he was acting nervous, which Whitaker denied. After a bit of a scuffle, Whitaker was jailed. He claimed that his face received permanent scars as a result of the rough treatment.

The district attorney's office attempted to get Whitaker to plead guilty. He would not. On the morning of the trial, the D.A. dropped all charges. Now Whitaker is suing.

The sheriff's office refused comment and the county did not answer queries.

There appear to be similarities with this case and Kolender vs Lawson from 1983. A black youth in dreadlocks was arrested 15 times by San Diego police in 18 months. The young man, Edward Lawson, went to court to challenge a law requiring persons who loiter to identify themselves. The United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the statute used against Lawson was vague.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Birding & Brews: Breakfast Edition, ZZ Ward, Doggie Street Festival & Pet Adopt-A-Thon

Events November 21-November 23, 2024
District attorney Bonnie Dumanis
District attorney Bonnie Dumanis

On Tuesday (June 9), Devin Whitaker, a 23-year-old African-American with dreadlocks, filed suit against the county, sheriff William Gore, three sheriff's deputies, and others for unlawful arrest, excessive force, battery, negligence, and other alleged offenses.

On August 15 of last year, Whitaker was waiting to catch a trolley at the Lemon Grove trolley station. That day, the sheriff's department was participating in "Operation Lemon Drop," a dragnet operation in Lemon Grove. Whitaker charges that the sheriff's deputies illegally seized, detained, and searched him, looking for drugs or drug paraphernalia.

Sponsored
Sponsored

According to the suit, the deputies found a meth pipe at the trolley station and claimed it was Whitaker's. However, says the suit, there were no fingerprints indicating it was his. Whitaker says the deputies claimed that he was acting nervous, which Whitaker denied. After a bit of a scuffle, Whitaker was jailed. He claimed that his face received permanent scars as a result of the rough treatment.

The district attorney's office attempted to get Whitaker to plead guilty. He would not. On the morning of the trial, the D.A. dropped all charges. Now Whitaker is suing.

The sheriff's office refused comment and the county did not answer queries.

There appear to be similarities with this case and Kolender vs Lawson from 1983. A black youth in dreadlocks was arrested 15 times by San Diego police in 18 months. The young man, Edward Lawson, went to court to challenge a law requiring persons who loiter to identify themselves. The United States Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the statute used against Lawson was vague.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Downtown thrift shop offers three bands in one show

Come nightfall, Humble Heart hosts The Beat
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader