Woman Sues CHP Over Officer Who Secretly Copied Racy Photo
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A woman who had explicit photos secretly copied from her phone during a traffic stop is suing the California Highway Patrol.
The Oakland Tribune reports Thursday that the lawsuit was filed in federal court against former officer Sean Harrington and the CHP.
The suit claims Officer Sean Harrington had no cause to search Natalie Sramek's phone when he stopped her on suspicion of drunken driving last year.
Harrington, CHP Commissioner Joseph Farrow and Officer Robert Hazelwood are named as defendants. Harrington resigned after prosecutors charged him a year ago with two counts of felony computer theft for stealing photos from women's cellphones.
He two pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to probation and violence-prevention classes.
Prosecutors declined to charge Hazelwood, who received photos from Harrington via text messages. Harrington was not available for comment Friday.