HIV-Positive Woman Ticketed By Dearborn Police Gets $40,000 Settlement
DEARBORN (WWJ/AP) - The city of Dearborn has agreed to pay $40,000 to a Detroit woman who was ticketed by an officer in 2012 who expressed concern about contracting HIV from her.
Shalandra Jones sued after Officer David Lacey berated her for not telling him earlier in a traffic stop that she had the virus that causes AIDS.
Jones told the officer she had HIV after he asked about medication that she used to treat the virus. He ended up ticketing her on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge; she had a marijuana medical card, but it had expired. The charge was dismissed last year.
The incident was recorded on a police dash-cam and footage was later posted online. In the video, Lacey says he doesn't "want to catch something" and he "has a family," adding that "Dearborn does not have that many people living with HIV, and the police do not like people with HIV."
Dearborn spokeswoman Mary Laundroche says the city believes it was an isolated incident and "not reflective of the behavior of our police department."
Casual contact does not spread HIV and AIDS.
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