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Crime & Safety

Released Convict's Lawsuit Against Police Dismissed

A judge sides with the Southampton Town Police Department, Newsday reports.

A district court judge Monday morning dismissed a lawsuit that had been filed against the Southampton Town Police Department by a convicted drug dealer whose sentence was vacated in May 2012, Newsday reports.

Mohammed Proctor was among the first two of a handful of men whose convictions were tossed out as a result of a review conducted by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota's office of more than 100 drug cases handled by the Southampton Town Police Department's now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. Spota said at the time that his office had gathered information that affects the credibility of one of the members of the unit — a police officer later learned to be Eric Sickles, who was reportedly permitted to work while addicted to prescription pain pills. Sickles was suspended and admitted to a rehabilitation facility, and has since returned to work.

According to Newsday, among Proctor's claims in his false arrest lawsuit is that police officers, without a warrant, conducted an unlawful search of his person and removed a bag of cocaine from his rectum.

At the time the lawsuit was filed,  D.A. spokesman Robert Clifford said, "The allegations in the civil lawsuit are baseless."

Spota said at the time, "The decision to release convicted drug dealers back into the community under these circumstances is not undertaken lightly and is made free from political consideration or favor contrary to made by former town and police officials. Rather, we are duty bound under the law to take this action."

Read the article at Newsday.com.

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