An Alleged Drug Dealer Takes A Police Officer To Court For Robbing His Money

In a bizarre twist of law enforcement, crime, greed, desperation and hip hop, a police officer in Memphis, TN desperate to become a rap music producer is lured into the other side of the law at an attempt to fund his dream. This reminds you of a scene in the movie Hustle & Flow where a couple of Prison Guards were desperate to rap to the lead actor Terrance Howard who played the role of ‘D Jay’ in the movie. One of those jailers in that movie Hustle & Flow was played by aspiring actor Michael Hooks Jr, 32, a former Memphis school board member, who pled guilty to one count of embezzlement stemming from a scheme to defraud the Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk’s office in 2001 as a part of the Tennessee Waltz scandal.

Reverting back to the story of the alleged drug dealer being robbed in the Frayser neighborhood of Memphis, TN on April 10, 2004, Officer Authur Sease IV pulled over the alleged drug dealer and somewhat victim Reginald Brown of Nebraska along with Nicholas Biles. Reginald Brown, a Nebraska man, and his companion were traveling on James Road in Frayser on their way to reportedly buy cocaine in a 1999 Chevrolet van.

According to a court document obtained by MemphisRap.com, Sease approached Brown’s vehicle and asked to see his license and registration which Brown wasn’t able to retrieve. Due to this, Sease requested that Brown step out of the van and began to search him, finding and confiscating $400 in cash. After searching Brown, Sease placed him into the back of his squad car and then began to search Niles removing from his pockets and confiscating $800 in cash. After being searched, Niles was then placed into the back of the squad car along with Brown. As the two sat in the squad car Sease proceeded to search their van, confiscating Brown’s lockbox containing $31,400. Officer Sease then ordered that the two men leave, by threatening them and placing his hand on his weapon.

After the incident took place, the men went directly to the Memphis Police Department to report it which resulted in Officer Authur Sease IV being later arrested and charged with robbery and official oppression in connection with the incident.

In April of 2005, the alleged victims suit made its way in the Court of General Sessions of Shelby County, Tennessee. In June of 2005 the Defendants (City of Memphis and Authur Sease IV) moved the case under Fed. R. Civ. P.12(b)(6) inorder to dismiss the case for failure to state a cognizable legal claim

upon which relief can be granted.

The Plaintiffs (Reginald Brown and Nicholas Biles) alleged that Sease stopped their car without probable cause, searched their car and them without a warrant or probable cause, illegally detained them in the back of a squad car, and robbed them of a considerable amount of cash. Reginald Brown and Nicholas Biles also alleged that the offenses, conducted by a police officer acting as a police officer, violated their Fourth Amendment right to be secure in their persons against unreasonable searches and seizures and their Due Process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. Due to Sease acting under the color of the laws of the State of Tennessee in the incident, the case was not dismissed as they had hoped. The Defendants hoped to dismiss the Plaintiffs’ supplemental state law claims.

This is not the first time Officer Sease, 31, has been accused of allegedly robbing an alleged drug dealer. The Officer is on trial for this and 15 other alleged incidents ranging from 2003 and 2006 in which other alleged drug dealers also say they were robbed of money, drugs and property according to the Commercial Appeal.

The trial for the case with Reginald Brown which was previously motioned for dismissal by the Defendents continued on yesterday, January 27, 2009, so more details may be available soon.