A federal jury has awarded $15,000 in damages to a San Diego woman who said she was illegally searched by Utah Highway Patrol in 2008.
Court documents show that the jury found Trooper Brian Bairett liable for the illegal search on Friday.
Bairett stopped San Diego resident Sherida Felders for speeding on I-15 near Cedar City. Court documents say he continued questioning Felders and her two passengers after issuing a ticket. He then detained them and called for a dog to sniff the vehicle for narcotics.
A deputy brought a trained dog to the scene. Officers searched vehicle for drugs but found none.
Felders said the search was illegal and the result of racial profiling. She and her passengers are black.
The jury found Bairett liable for the illegal search but not the deputy.
