FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): – A jury returned a verdict in favor of an Indiana State Police trooper and Allen County jail officers in a federal lawsuit.  A suspect filed the lawsuit over his arrest and booking at the jail.

The plaintiff, 33-year-old Anthony Martin, was arrested in September, 2009, following a traffic stop by Trooper Teusch in which marijuana was found in Martin’s vehicle, according to court documents.  

As Martin was booked in to the Allen County jail and searched by the trooper, more marijuana was found in Martin’s pants.  Martin later filed suit against the trooper and four Allen County jail officers, claiming an illegal search and excessive force, which the State denied.

The Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s Office represented Indiana State Police Trooper Matthew Teusch in the civil lawsuit heard by a jury during a three-day trial in U.S. District Court.

“Defending law enforcement officers who properly carry out their duties arresting and booking suspects from false and sometimes frivolous allegations from plaintiffs seeking monetary damages from taxpayers is a role that I take very seriously.  Our police should know that the Office of Attorney General will defend them from these lawsuits, and potential plaintiffs should know the likelihood that juries will award them nothing,” Zoeller said.

After hearing three days of testimony during the civil trial in Martin’s lawsuit, jurors returned a verdict in favor of the trooper and the officers and against Martin.