Cop accuses US mum of being a meth user because of her bad teeth
A young mother in the US who was pulled over for speeding wants an apology from a police officer who accused her of being a drug addict because of her bad teeth.
Stephanie Foltz was driving home from work on Indiana 25 on September 28, when she was pulled over by State Trooper Thomas Manning for speeding.
“As soon as I turned my head and started talking to him, that’s when he started asking me about prior drug use and if I had any prior drug charges on me,” she told WLFI.
When Manning went back to his car to get some information, Mrs Foltz contacted her husband, who advised her to record the rest of the conversation.
In the audio uploaded to YouTube, Mrs Foltz is heard saying how she suffers from anxiety, before Manning asks her how long she has been smoking meth for.
“I’ve never smoked meth in my life,” Foltz replies, taken aback.
“OK,” Manning says. “Then what happened to your teeth?”
When she explained her teeth had changed colour during pregnancy when the calcium was drained by her growing children, the officer said he didn’t believe her.
“Are you upset because I told you, you were lying?” Manning later asks her.
“Yeah, because you’re judging me on the way that my mouth looks,' replied Foltz. “I’ve never done drugs in my life.”
“You’re telling me you don’t believe me because my teeth are messed up, I apologise if I don’t have a good smile like every other female in the world.”
Mrs Foltz was eventually given a speeding ticket for going 73 miles per her in a 60 mile zone. She and her husband Matt decided to upload the audio to YouTube after they were unable to contact police to make a complaint.
While Mrs Foltz doesn’t want Manning to lose his job, she does believe that she was discriminated against and deserves an apology.
"I guess my teeth are bad, but that was no reason for him to continuously sit there and tell me that I was doing meth and I just need to be honest with him," said told WTHR.
“I just don't think it was right the way he handled the situation."
While state police have listened to the recording, they reportedly found no violations of rules or policies.
However they have spoken with the trooper about what he could have done better.
Morning news break – October 8
