SAN ANTONIO — A federal jury found Bexar County liable for violating the Fourth Amendment rights of Alek Schott, a Houston-area oilfield equipment salesman whose pickup was flagged through a license plate surveillance network, according to the Institute for Justice (IJ), which represented him.
The jury awarded Schott $76 — one dollar for each minute he was detained.
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Schott was driving home from a business trip in March 2022 when his pickup was flagged as suspicious based on information collected by federally operated cameras, IJ said.
According to IJ, the tip reached Bexar County Deputy Joel Babb through a WhatsApp group chat. Babb testified that it came from a man he knew only as “Kiki,” whom he believed worked at a federal fusion center in Laredo.
Babb followed Schott’s truck and pulled him over, saying Schott had crossed the road’s fog line. IJ said evidence presented at trial showed that Schott had remained within his lane.
Schott was detained for 76 minutes and questioned in the front seat of a patrol vehicle. Deputies searched his truck after a drug dog alerted but found no contraband, according to IJ.
Schott later filed a complaint with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. He said the department found no violation, and he subsequently sued the county.
To hold the county liable, Schott had to show that a county policy or custom caused the violation, rather than merely the actions of one deputy. IJ said the practice operated for four years and was used against thousands of drivers.
IJ said it will ask the court to prohibit Bexar County from using unsupported traffic stops to facilitate warrantless vehicle searches.
