Local Woman Left Bruised, Claims Church Point Police Used Unnecessary Force During Arrest Over Tint

An Acadia Parish woman is speaking out after she claims she was dragged out of her vehicle and arrested by Church Point Police.

Sarah Hebert posted about her experience on Facebook, claiming that Church Point Police used unnecessary force after stopping her for illegal window tint.

Hebert says she was headed to pick up her kid and groceries on Monday (Oct. 31) when she was pulled over by Church Point Police. When the officer informed her that she had illegal tint on her vehicle, she informed him that she "purchased the vehicle that way from the dealership over a year ago."

Hebert says the officer "did not care" and wanted her "out of the vehicle." When she explained to him that she didn't feel comfortable getting out of the vehicle, Hebert says the officer reached into her vehicle, unlocked the door, and dragged her out.

I explained to him I didn’t feel comfortable so I called for more officers to come onto the scene. He reached into my vehicle unlocked it and dragged me out as he ripped my phone out of my hand and arrested me! When the 911 operator called back they told them not to send anyone that I was just resisting arrest.

She posted photos of bruising on her arms as well as marks on her hand as a result of the incident and her post quickly went viral with many locals reacting to the shocking incident.

While Church Point Police did not directly address Hebert's viral post or the subsequent criticism from those commenting on and sharing her story, they did post a refresher on the proper protocol when it comes to traffic stops "for those actually interested in how the law works" on their official Facebook page.

Church Point Police explained that dark tint is a safety hazard for officers who cannot see inside a vehicle, referring back to a Supreme Court decision. They also added that formal complaints should be made by "writing on a complaint form at the Church Point Police Department to be investigated not on Facebook."

After seeing the indirect message from Church Point Police Department, Hebert updated her post to further clarify details on how her experience went down. Not only did she present proper ID and insurance, but she revealed why she felt uncomfortable getting out of her vehicle during the stop.

More details to add: I gave birth to my 4th baby and had a tubal done recently. Any woman that has had a tubal done after a c-section knows that you will have major bleeding afterwards hence why I was uncomfortable getting out of my vehicle. I was not dressed appropriately to parade around Main Street. This officers goal was to humiliate me. I was booked and strip searched even though my husband was there to bail me out. The officers left and did not come back to release me for 2 hours despite dispatch calling them to release me!
(I hope this adds some clarity to the situation)

She also shared photos of the illegal tint on her vehicle as well as alleged Church Point Police officers who "laugh reacted" to her Facebook post.

Hebert named the officers, including screengrabs of at least one officer she accused of mocking her publicly online.

This is how officers John Leger Jr., Mark Regan II, Holden Hare, Jay Mouton, & Derek Venable feel about the situation. Serious enough to arrest, funny enough to laugh about!

We reached out to Church Point Police Chief Dale Thibodeaux but have yet to hear back from his department. In the meantime, reactions continue to pour in on both Facebook posts regarding the alleged incident.

We will update this post with more information when, and if, we receieve it.