KINGSTON – Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa is investigating allegations that a woman was illegally arrested and physically abused by a deputy sheriff.
A public relations firm had issued a news release claiming that Shana Shaw was dragged out of her vehicle in a restaurant parking lot in the Town of Ulster for no apparent reason.
The firm distributed portions of video at the scene which appeared to show the officers dragging the woman out of her car with her screaming. The firm said she was a nurse aide.
But, Sheriff Figueroa has released the body camera footage of the incident saying it was “prudent” to release it “as this event has garnered community attention.”
Click here for deputy sheriff’s body camera video.
The full video shows the officer interviewing the woman as she stood outside her car and failed to produce a driver’s license. That prompted the officer to tell her she was under arrest.
Shaw maintained she had paperwork at home, but the deputy noted a driver must have a license with them at all times.
When he told her she was under arrest, she got back in her car and started screaming when he attempted to remove her.
“Encounters with law enforcement can be unpredictable, and although this is not to say one way or the other than anyone is at fault, this will at least shed light on the event as it occurred in real time,” Figueroa said. “Like all technology, devices such as body cameras, cell phones and similar devices are machines with limitations.”
