BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A black East St. Louis man pulled over by a white Illinois state trooper facing battery charges says he felt “disrespected” and “insulted” when the officer conducted a roadside strip search.
Anthony Campbell testified Thursday as the trial of Corey Alberson began in Belleville.
Alberson is accused of making “physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature” by pulling down Campbell’s pants during an East St. Louis traffic stop in April 2014. Campbell wasn’t charged with any traffic violations.
Alberson is suspended without pay and has pleaded not guilty to felony aggravated battery.
The criminal complaint against Alberson doesn’t cite race as a factor.
Officials have said an August trial date for Albertson was postponed to avoid inflaming public tensions surrounding the one-year anniversary of the fatal Ferguson police shooting.