Two Texas state troopers involved in a controversial roadside body cavity search now face criminal charges, CBS 11 reports.
On Friday, a Dallas County Grand Jury indicted Kelley Helleson and David Farrell on charges stemming from a July 2012 traffic stop, in which two women claimed they were subjected to humiliating body cavity searches.
Helleson is charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of official oppression. Farrell was charged with theft after one of the victims claimed a bottle of prescription painkillers went missing after the traffic stop.
The women, Ashley Dobbs and her aunt Angel Dobbs, were pulled over after one of them allegedly threw a cigarette out the window of her car. Footage from the incident captured on a dashboard camera shows Helleson conducting anal and vaginal body cavity searches on both women. (Warning: Video contains graphic content.)
According to the Dallas Morning News, the women said Helleson didn't change gloves between searches.
No drugs were found in the troopers' search. The women filed a lawsuit in December 2012, claiming they were humiliated and traumatized by the search.
"I was molested, I was violated, I was humiliated in front of other traffic," Angel Dobbs told WFAA in a December 2012 interview. "I had to watch my niece go through the same thing and I could not protect her at that point."
The Texas Department of Public Safety fired Helleson, CBS 11 reported in February. Farrell is still on suspension.
If convicted, Helleson could face up to 20 years in prison, and a fine of $10,000, according to Austinist. Farrell faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Warning: The footage, released by the women and their attorney, contains graphic content that might not be suitable for all viewers.
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