A federal district judge has suppressed evidence recovered during an illegal traffic stop in the case of United States v. Boyd. Judge Nancy Torresen found that the State Trooper who made the stop, Trooper John Darcy, was not a credible witness and his dashcam video contradicted the reasons he gave for pulling over a vehicle driven by a Black man and his passenger, a Black woman. Trooper Darcy has previously been caught on tape saying he has pulled over Black drivers because of their appearance.
Judge Torresen found that based on her viewing of the dashcam footage, the driver was not operating in a way that violated Maine traffic laws, and there was no basis for the stop. The order is attached.
The ACLU of Maine filed an amicus brief in support of the defendant's motion to suppress.
The following statement can be attributed to Emma Bond, Legal Director at the ACLU of Maine:
"This order imposes necessary consequences for the illegal actions of the Maine State Police. Officers are not allowed to fabricate reasons for pulling people over based on 'gut feelings' or the appearance of a driver. These 'gut feelings' are often the product of bias, and result in criminalizing people for driving while Black.
"This case is just one example of the racial profiling that is pervasive in Maine and across the country. The Maine Legislature has approved a law that requires law enforcement officers to collect demographic data about every stop they make. We need data to understand the scope of the problem, so that we can tailor appropriate solutions. It is incumbent on Maine law enforcement agencies to wholeheartedly support and implement this law."
