ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando woman claims Orange County Jail guards violated their own policy by violating her -- holding her down, pepper-spraying her and conducting a body cavity search for contraband cash.
Africa James, 38, was at the jail on Aug. 20 on a drug-related charge when she said guards from the Orlando Police Department handcuffed her, held her down and pepper-sprayed her. James said she then screamed, kicked and spat at guards as a nurse forcibly removed $12 in cash she had hidden in a body cavity.
While James has a history of being combative with police, members of her family said she didn’t deserve the way she was treated at the jail.
“That’s really awful, you know?’’ James’ aunt, Geraldine Williams, told WFTV reporter Kathi Belich. “That’s really bad for somebody to do something like that.’’
Jail policy states that corrections health staff “will not retrieve or attempt to retrieve contraband from any body orifice." It also states that a body cavity search should be conducted at an emergency room.
James’ attorney, Divinne Betty Joseph, said her client is planning to report the incident as a sexual assault to the Orlando Police Department. She has also asked for the discipline records of all six of the female guards involved in the search.
The jail is also investigating the incident. The booking supervisor on duty during the search, Cpl. Carmen Cooper, is still on the job but has been reassigned to work that does not involve inmate contact. The other guards have not been reassigned.
Police records show James has a history of cocaine abuse and being combative with officers, including using racial slurs.
James’ attorney said her client believes she was violated in a sexual way and plans to sue the jail. She told Belich that she wants the incident investigated as a crime.