ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (KTVI) – A mates from Missouri is suing the metropolis of Florissant and a metropolis constabulary officer, alleging that the serviceman stole nude photos from the mates during a postulation halt earlier this year.

Attorney Richard Voytas Jr., of Voytas Law successful St. Louis, filed the suit connected behalf of his clients past week. The mates has been identified lone arsenic "Jane Doe" and John Doe" owed to the quality of the lawsuit and concerns of retaliation, and the serviceman is identified arsenic "Joe Smith" arsenic his individuality has not been made public.

The suit alleges that the serviceman conducted a postulation halt of Jane Doe successful February 2024, claiming that Jane's rear taillight was out. He asked if she had insurance, past directed her to propulsion up impervious of security connected her compartment telephone and unlock the device, according to the documents.

The serviceman allegedly took Jane's telephone backmost to his constabulary conveyance and disconnected the telephone from her car's Bluetooth. The suit says the serviceman sat successful his car for astatine slightest 10 minutes earlier returning the woman's phone. He drove disconnected without issuing Jane a ticket.

Investigators with the FBI contacted Jane Doe successful July, asking her to place a nude photograph of a pistillate who Jane recognized arsenic herself, according to the lawsuit. She told investigators she lone ever shared the photograph with her husband, but national authorities told Jane the representation — and others — were recovered successful the possession of the Florissant constabulary serviceman who had pulled her over.

Officer Smith is accused of accessing Jane Doe's backstage messages during the postulation halt aft uncovering a pinned speech betwixt her and John Doe. The suit alleges the serviceman scrolled backmost years into the couple's speech and recovered nude pictures the 2 had exchanged, on with intimate messages.

The serviceman utilized his telephone to instrumentality pictures of the couple's intimate photos, which helium past shared with others, which is however the FBI became alert of the officer's actions, the suit alleges.

Voytas and his clients judge the serviceman has committed the aforesaid transgression against others successful Florissant.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Florissant Police Department posted a connection connected its Facebook page acknowledging the suit against the officer.

"We are profoundly acrophobic by these allegations and privation to guarantee the assemblage that we instrumentality immoderate assertion of serviceman misconduct precise seriously. The information of everyone successful our assemblage remains our apical priority," the connection reads successful part. "We clasp our employees to a precocious modular of integrity and expect them to dainty each subordinate of our assemblage with dignity and respect."

The Florissant Police Department added that the accused serviceman is nary longer moving for the city, "and determination is nary denotation that immoderate different subordinate of the Florissant Police Department was progressive successful the alleged misconduct."

The mates who filed the suit is seeking a assemblage trial, Voytas indicated.