Las Vegas, Nevada – A nurse who volunteered her time at the 2022 Burning Man festival is suing the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, alleging unlawful detention while trying to assist a festival attendee.

Hannah Hoekstra, a registered nurse, was paged to help a woman experiencing distress after encountering another festival-goer. However, Hoekstra found herself handcuffed by deputies from the sheriff’s office, according to the lawsuit filed on August 31.

Hoekstra, a forensic nurse with previous experience collaborating with law enforcement, was a seasoned volunteer at Burning Man. The lawsuit states that she wore a yellow shirt, which clearly identified her as an emergency services volunteer.

The incident occurred on August 31, 2022, when Hoekstra spoke privately with the woman requesting help. Donna Robinson, a plain-clothed deputy from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, insisted on entering the tent where they were speaking.

When the woman expressed her desire not to speak with law enforcement, Hoekstra left the tent to explain the situation to Deputy Robinson. However, Robinson demanded that the patient speak with her on camera and threatened to arrest Hoekstra for obstruction if she did not comply.

Hoekstra requested to speak with her own supervisor, but Robinson instructed another deputy to detain and handcuff her. Officers reportedly told bystanders who filmed the incident that the sheriff’s office would need the video for Hoekstra’s “prosecution.”

After nearly 40 minutes, Hoekstra was eventually released without any criminal charges or citations.

Hoekstra’s attorney, Nathan Lawrence, argues that the incident represents a violation of her constitutional rights. He states that there was no probable cause or reasonable suspicion to detain her and that the officers’ actions were “entirely unnecessary.”

Since the incident, Hoekstra has been diagnosed with PTSD and has been unable to continue working in forensic nursing due to the mental anguish and emotional distress it caused.

Both the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Land Management have not responded to requests for comment.

This lawsuit comes amidst growing concerns about unlawful detentions by law enforcement agencies in Nevada. In August, a Metropolitan Police Department sergeant was arrested on suspicion of a “pattern of unlawful detentions.”

Lawrence emphasizes that unlawful detention not only harms the individual victim but also undermines public trust in law enforcement.

Source: Review Journal