Apr 5, 2024 By Mike Jones 3 min read

State police will pay $250,000 to a Bentleyville woman who accused a trooper of subjecting her to a roadside strip search in 2021, according to details of a federal lawsuit settlement reached between the two sides earlier this year.

The settlement between state police and Holly Elish was released Thursday as part of an open records request made Feb. 27 by the Observer-Reporter asking for information about the agreement.

Elish filed the federal lawsuit against state police accusing Trooper Brian Rousseau of pulling her over at an Interstate 70 interchange near Washington and forcing her to undergo a strip search on May 27, 2021. Another police officer, North Strabane police Sgt. Abigail France, was also accused in the lawsuit since she performed the strip search at Rousseau’s request.

The lawsuit accused Rousseau of following Elish’s vehicle for several miles on I-70 before initiating the traffic stop over a “minor traffic violation,” and then demanding that police be able to search her car. Police found nothing in her car, but Rousseau forced Elish to undergo a full body search by France, who was called to the traffic stop in order to perform a “pat-down” and strip search.

Elish was ordered to remove her pants and underwear so police could perform the more invasive search. France stopped the search when she felt uncomfortable about why she was called to the scene to help, according to the lawsuit.

Elish eventually received a traffic citation for driving 5 mph over the 55 mph speed limit, but Rousseau did not show up for her hearing in July 2021, so District Judge Michael Manfredi found Elish not guilty and dismissed the case.

Her attorney, Alec Wright, filed the federal lawsuit against state police in November 2021 claiming Elish faced humiliation and mental anguish, among other issues, and accused the police officers of violating her Fourth Amendment rights by illegally detaining her and searching her vehicle and body.

Federal court documents show the settlement was reached Feb. 13 following a court order by Senior U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti in Pittsburgh, but details were not made public. The Observer-Reporter newspaper filed an open records request on Feb. 27 asking for a copy of the settlement to be released. State police requested a 30-day delay to respond before granting the request Thursday and releasing the settlement.

According to the settlement, the agreement “shall not constitute an admission of liability or fault on the part of the Defendants,” and it will release them from any future litigation. The $250,000 payment will also cover Elish’s attorney’s fees, according to the settlement.

It’s not known if Rousseau faced any disciplinary action for the incident.

Wright did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on the settlement and a state police spokesman declined to comment on the agreement.