A class action lawsuit has been filed against Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Lisa Steed, a police officer who has been accused of potentially hundreds of wrongful DUI charges, causing the victims thousands of dollars in fines, emotional trauma, impounded property and in some cases lost jobs. Trooper Steed was fired in November. One of Steed’s alleged victims, Thomas Romero, said, “That night when I got pulled over, lost my truck, lost everything I have, my motor home, everything. That hurts.” Lisa Steed is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Romero was stopped over a burned out bulb over his license plate. Steed arrested him for drunk driving, and toxicology tests later showed his BAC was zero. Other victims shared similar stories; Julie Tapia claims that she does not drink at all but was arrested for drunk driving.
Davis County district attorney Troy Rawlings said he would dismiss all cases in which Steed was the primary or sole investiator, and a D.A. for Salt Lake County said he would not prosecute cases involving Steed. In a 2010 police memo, a sergeant reviewed 20 of Steed’s marijuana-impairment cases and found that the drivers arrested did not have any THC or drugs in their system.
If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Utah DUI attorney for legal assistance.
