Liberty County sheriff disputes claims of racial profiling after deputies pulled over lacrosse team

A Georgia sheriff on Tuesday denied that racial profiling played a factor in the decision by his deputies to stop and search a bus of predominantly Black student-athletes in April.

“We initiated a traffic stop for a motor coach traveling northbound on I-95," said Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman during an afternoon news conference. "This is part of our commercial interdiction detail on the interstate."

The sheriff was referring to an incident on April 20 involving the women’s lacrosse team from Delaware State University, an HBCU. Deputies did not find any contraband in their search.

Exclusive: Sheriff says deputies did nothing wrong in HBCU bus search amid racial profiling accusations

Video: Body camera footage contradicts sheriff's account of how deputies acted on DSU bus

Related: Delaware State coach, player: Bus stop racially motivated

The Delaware News Journal this week reported that the squad was traveling from Florida after their season finale against Stetson University when their charter bus was pulled over by Liberty County sheriff's deputies.

The bus driver, Tim Jones, was told by the deputies that he was traveling improperly in the left lane. But things turned south moments later.

According to a report, Liberty County deputies started removing players’ bags from the vehicle’s cargo bay to search after asking Jones to open them. One of the players recorded the interaction and caught the moment when one of the deputies said, "If there is anything in y’all’s luggage, we’re probably gonna find it, OK? I’m not looking for a little bit of marijuana, but I’m pretty sure you guys’ chaperones are probably gonna be disappointed in you if we find any."

Delaware State President Tony Allen told the News Journal that he has reached out to the state’s Attorney General’s Office, Delaware Gov. John Carney and others.

Liberty County: What to know

"There were several commercial vehicles stopped that morning, including another bus where contraband was located," Bowman said. "Due to the nature of the detail, a K9 was part of the stop and an alert was given by the K9. A K9 sniff of the exterior is not a search under the Fourth Amendment and does cause us to provide search of the vehicle.”

Sheriff says no one's belongings were searched

He went on to say no one’s belongings were searched, which contradicts a statement from DSU senior Aniya Aiken, who had a gift-wrapped box on board. When asked by a deputy what was inside, Aiken said it was a present from her aunt and she was instructed not to open it until she got back to campus. According to the News Journal, “the deputy returned to the cargo bay with the gift, which was then opened.”

“Although I do not believe racial profiling occurred based on the information I have, I welcome feedback from the community on ways our law enforcement practices can be improved,” said Bowman, who noted at the start of the news conference that he would not field any questions. “More than anything, we want feedback from the Delaware lacrosse team on the communication approaches we can consider that we are not aware of. This is how true policing is done.”

The incident struck a nerve with many due to the deputy’s harsh tone and how a minor traffic violation led to an alleged search. Bowman said he understands the tension between law enforcement and the Black community and said his office is taught to have “respect for all individuals.”

“We realize in this current environment that even a traffic stop can be alarming to citizens, especially African Americans," Bowman said. "... We are happy nothing was found and the passengers arrived home safely.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has been in contact with the Delaware Attorney General, but does not have jurisdiction over the incident, noted his spokesperson.

In March, a Liberty County resident named Timothy Grace filed a lawsuit in state court against the Liberty County Sheriff's Office and two deputies, accusing them of excessive force during a 2020 traffic stop.

The filing claims that Grace was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by deputies and that everyone in the car was asked to step out. Grace says he was asking about the reason for the stop when he was cuffed and brought to the ground by deputies, hitting his head and losing consciousness.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

USA Today Georgia reporter Abraham Kenmore contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Delaware State lacrosse incident not racial profiling, GA sheriff says