Law enforcement officers in Kentucky issued a citation to a woman for unlawful camping despite the fact that she was pregnant and in the process of coming into labor as she was being detained, according to law enforcement officials.
The occurrence took place in the month of September in this year.
The body cam video that was obtained by Kentucky Public Radio from the officers who were involved in the incident shows Lieutenant Caleb Stewart, who is the chief of the Downtown Area Patrol for the Louisville Metro Police Department, approaching the woman who was visibly pregnant and who had been suffering homelessness.
The woman can be heard asking Stewart, “I might be going into labor, is that okay?” as he approaches her.
“I’m leaking out,” she continued before saying.
Once the woman informed Stewart that her husband was already calling an ambulance for her, Stewart proceeded to call for an ambulance for her. After after, Stewart can be heard ordering her to come to a stop as she walks out into the street to wait for the vehicle.
It was her question, “Am I being detained?”
“Yes, you’re being detained,” he responded by saying “You’re being detained because you’re unlawfully camping.”
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As a result of the Safer Kentucky Act, which is a new state legislation in Kentucky, it is now illegal to sleep or set up camp on sidewalks or other public property. Advocates for people who are now facing homelessness have voiced their strong opposition to the act.
During the time that Stewart was returning to his vehicle to write the woman a citation, law enforcement officials took the woman’s mattress and deposited it into a garbage truck.
You can hear Stewart remark, “So I don’t for a second believe that this woman is going into labor,” on the video. This is something that you can hear.
According to public defender Ryan Dischinger, who is representing the mother, the woman gave birth later that day than originally anticipated. She and her family are currently staying in a shelter for the homeless.
“The reality for her, and for anyone who’s homeless in Kentucky, is that they’re constantly and unavoidably breaking this law,” Dischinger stated. “What she needed was help and compassion and instead she was met with violence.”
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