Woman’s Lawyer Apologizes To Texas State Trooper Accused Of Sexual Abuse During DWI Arrest

The lawyer for a Texas woman accusing a state trooper of sexual abuse during a recent DWI arrest is now apologizing to the officer after the release of body cam footage of the incident showed that he acted appropriately.

“The body camera footage released directly contradicts with the accounts reported to my office,” Attorney Lee Meritt said in press release Wednesday. “Officer Daniel Hubbard seems to comport himself professionally during the traffic stop and arrest.”

Hubbard, a Texas Highway Patrol trooper, pulled over a Chevrolet Malibu being driven by Grapevine resident Sherita Dixon-Cole, 37, on May 20 at 1:32 a.m. on Interstate 35 in Ellis County, according to a press release posted on the Texas Public Safety Department’s Facebook page.

Hubbard charged Dixon-Cole with driving while intoxicated and took her to the Ellis County Jail for processing, according to the release.

The department released the officer’s body cam video of the almost two-hour-long arrest.

Following the arrest, Dixon-Cole sought out attorney Lee Meritt, telling him that the officer sexually assaulted her both inside and outside of his vehicle during the arrest, according to a Washington Post story.

She claimed that Hubbard offered numerous times to “let her go home” in return for sexual favors and that he physically accosted her while she was handcuffed in his patrol vehicle.

While the salacious story garnered tens of thousands of views and national media attention, the officer’s body cam video paints a much different picture.

Throughout the video, Hubbard is seen as being as accommodating as possible to Dixon-Cole, even making sure her cell phone was powered down when they were in the jail’s processing area so that the battery wouldn’t drain and she could later use it to contact family and friends.

In its release of the video, the Texas Department of Public Safety said officials immediately investigated Dixon-Cole’s claims and reviewed Hubbard’s body cam video of the incident.

“The video shows absolutely no evidence to support the egregious and unsubstantiated accusations against the trooper,” the department’s release said. “The Department is appalled that anyone would make such a despicable, slanderous and false accusation against a peace officer who willingly risks his life every day to protect and serve the public.”

The department said it immediately released the video in the wake of the stories that were published regarding the incident.

“I am truly sorry for any trouble these claims may have caused Officer Hubbard and his family,” Merritt said in his release. “I take full responsibility for amplifying these claims to the point of national concern.”

According to a USA Today story, Dixon-Cole could face misdemeanor charges for making a false police report.