Lawsuit Claims Tennessee Troopers Arrested Sober Driver For DUI Because They Knew His Brother
The driver was confused why he was being harassed and insisted that he would never get behind the wheel while not sober.
Monkey Business Images | Shutterstock A Tennessee man is taking up his grievances with the state and two state troopers after being wrongfully pulled over for not being sober while driving.
Thomas Manis has since filed a lawsuit and claimed that knowledge about his family from the troopers led to them making an assumption about his character, despite his participation and cooperation with their questions about his state of mind.
Thomas Manis filed a lawsuit claiming that Tennessee troopers arrested him for a DUI despite being sober because they knew his brother.
According to WSMV, Manis was pulled over while driving along U.S. 411 in Monroe County in December 2023. He was pulled over by trooper Riley Shreiner, who explained that it was because the tint on his windows was too dark.
In the federal lawsuit filed by the Volunteer State, the complaint stated that as Shreiner ordered Manis to provide his license, registration, and proof of insurance, Manis cooperated, remaining "respectful, restrained, courteous, and compliant" throughout. However, when Shreiner went back to his patrol car he shared Manis' name with his colleague, veteran DUI officer Trooper William "Billy" Yates-Matoy.
"Upon learning of the Plaintiff’s identity, Officer Yates-Matoy stated that he knew the Plaintiff’s brother and he ‘guaranteed’ Plaintiff had weed in his vehicle and that Plaintiff had probably smoked weed the morning of the incident in question," the complaint said.
According to the body camera footage, Shreiner questioned Manis if he'd been drinking before getting behind the wheel. Manis maintained that he had not. When Shreiner returns to his car, he tells Trooper Yates-Matoy, who is sitting in the passenger seat, that he doesn’t smell any marijuana. Yates-Matoy, however, knew who Manis was and decided to allegedly draw conclusions about him.
"What makes you think I’m under the influence of anything?" Manis asked, per the body camera footage obtained by the news outlet. "You’ve got slightly red eyes and a highly red hue on around your eyes," Shreiner answered after hearing Yates-Matoy's insistence that Manis "probably got weed" and must've "smoked weed today."
Manis pointed out that his eyes were red because he'd just woken up, but he was still forced to undergo a field sobriety test conducted by Shreiner with Yates-Matoy watching nearby.
Despite passing his sobriety test, Manis was still taken into police custody.
As Manis' traffic stop was happening, his mother, Angela Manis, happened to drive past and notice the entire debacle.
"Why is my son being arrested?" she is heard asking Shreiner, according to a report from WSMV.
"For driving under the influence, ma’am," Shreiner replied, but Angela Manis maintained that her son had not been drinking, and even pointed out that if they're falsely arresting him, it won't end well for them. "I promise you because I know my son," she insisted.
At one point, Shreiner turned off his body camera for thirty seconds as he talked to Yates-Matoy. Manis is then shocked as he's arrested and put in the back of the trooper’s vehicle.
"Is there any way to do a breathalyzer?" he questioned, as Shreiner answered, "We can’t. We don’t do breathalyzers, sir."
According to WSMV, bloodwork later confirmed that Manis was indeed sober at the time of his arrest.
Manis' lawsuit against Shreiner and Yates-Matoy says that his civil rights were violated across the agency, and the officers were aware of what they'd been doing. His complaint seeks $1 million in compensatory damages and an undetermined amount in punitive damages.
People have become increasingly less confident with how police handle conflicts.
Shreiner and Yates-Matoy's insistence on arresting Manis without proof that he was under the influence and basing their judgment on his brother's habits is simply a reflection of the failing institution that is policing. According to a new poll conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News, researchers found that police officers aren't held in such high regard.
The Post-ABC poll, which surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults, found that only 39% of those surveyed are confident police are properly trained to use excessive force. This is the lowest level of confidence in police training the poll has ever recorded, down 5% from 2021 and 15% from the first survey in 2014.
This lack of confidence doesn't help with the plethora of tales that often circulate on social media and news sites about the many ways police are failing to "serve and protect," despite that phrase being the entire foundation of their careers.
At the end of the day, the police and justice system is a deeply flawed institution, and the more we continue to turn a blind eye to that, the easier it can be for them to get away with things like this without any hint of accountability or repercussions.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.