SNOHOMISH – A University of Washington art professor today filed a lawsuit against the City of Snohomish over a 2005 incident where she was handcuffed and held by Snohomish police for more than an hour after taking photographs of power lines from public property.
The lawsuit accuses the city, plus current and former officers, of negligence, invasion of privacy and false arrest, according to the complaint filed today in Snohomish Superior Court.
The suit, brought with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, also alleges the city violated Shirley Scheier’s first and fourth amendment rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
Scheier, 54, lives in Seattle. On Oct. 17, 2005, she drove to Snohomish to take photographs of power lines near the federal Bonneville Power Administration substation as part of her own artistic work, the lawsuit said. Her artwork explores the relationship between people and their environment, including industrialization.
As Scheier drove home, police pulled her over, handcuffed her and questioned her for more than an hour, the lawsuit said.
The city said taking photos of power lines from public property is suspicious behavior and is grounds for detention and arrest, the lawsuit said.
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