Former OSU student sues City of Stillwater claiming unlawful arrest, strip search
STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) — A woman is suing the City of Stillwater and their police department after she said they unlawfully arrested her and illegally stripped-searched her.
Former Oklahoma State University student Claire Hosterman accuses the Stillwater Police Department of leaving her naked and handcuffed on the jail bench after an alleged unlawful strip search.
In September 2022, Stillwater police officers stopped Hosterman with some friends on the street, believing one of Hosterman's friends matched the description of someone that was acting "belligerently" at a local bar.
The officer told the rest of the group to leave and when they didn't, an altercation ensued.
In the jail booking body camera footage, you can hear an officer tell Hosterman, "Alright, it sounds like you have a great lawsuit."
The lawsuit says Hosterman's purse strap got caught in an officers arm and he then violently grabbed her by her hair and took her to jail for public intoxication and resisting arrest.
The lawsuit claims once inside the cell, several officers, both men and women, began to remove all of Hosterman's clothing while another male officer stood just "feet away" watching.
The lawsuit says for eight minutes, Hosterman was left alone, naked and hysterically crying while handcuffed and face down on the cell bench.
Hosterman's attorney issued KFOR the following statement.
Claire Hosterman was a senior at OSU and enjoying a night out when Stillwater Police
Smolen & Roytman
Department Officers violently tackled and arrested her – even though she had committed no
crime. While she was in police custody, Stillwater detention officers – both male and female – held her down and forcibly stripped her naked without any lawful justification, while other male officers stood by and watched. We believe this horribly invasive, unconstitutional conduct was part of a pattern at the Stillwater City Jail, where staff have repeatedly violated other young women in the same way. Ms. Hosterman is committed to holding the City of Stillwater accountable and putting a stop to these horrific abuses. We urge anyone else who has experienced anything similar at the Jail to come forward.
News 4 reached out to the city of Stillwater for a comment, but did not hear back.
The lawsuit is seeking damages for excessive force and unlawful arrest.