WINNSBORO (KYTX) - Four lawsuits filed by four different people with one common theme. All accuse some officers with the Winnsboro police department of planting evidence to make drug arrests.
In the first two civil lawsuits filed in 2009, two men who were riding in a company truck were pulled over for a traffic stop by one Winnsboro police officer.
The men say two more officers later arrived and searched their truck.
When a white napkin flew out of the truck the men said an officer returned with the napkin and said meth was inside.
The men said it didn't belong to them and took several blood and polygraph test to prove it. They passed.
In 2010, two more lawsuits are filed by two different men. Those lawsuits accuse one officer in particular of being a dirty cop known for planting evidence just to make an arrest.
All of these cases were later dismissed with neither the plaintiff nor the defendant admitting to doing anything wrong. CBS 19 tried to speak with the lawyers of the people involved to find out why they were dismissed, but they wouldn't comment for various reasons.
"Shocking, but not surprised," said Rowdy Coffman.
We went to the small town of Winnsboro last week. People who lived there didn't paint the police department in a positive light.
"They've been known to harass when you get in trouble, you tend to stay in trouble and just don't want that to happen to me," said Coffman.
"They tend to harass our teenage kids on the streets," said another resident.
Since the investigation began, the officers in question haven't been suspended.
The city and Chief of Police Jim Miller are standing behind their officer and trying to assure the community that everything will be okay. City administrators said if their is any wrong-doing found by the FBI the people involved will be held responsible.
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