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Charges dropped against California woman over viral arrest video

Prosecutors gave no reason for the dismissal

Prosecutors dropped criminal charges against a woman whose arrest went viral after a Riverside County sheriff's deputy entered her home without a warrant, told her he now “owned” the house and moved on her after an argument.

Adele Shirey was charged with one misdemeanor: resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer. The July 4 incident began when an officer entered her home through a seemingly closed door to investigate a noise complaint. Shirey lives in the French Valley area of ​​southwest Riverside County.

That charge was dismissed at the request of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, an office spokesman said, and the case against Shirey appears to be closed. The prosecutor's office spokesman did not respond to a question about why the charges were dropped, and the sheriff's department did not respond to a request for comment.

Neither prosecutors nor the sheriff addressed the question of whether the dismissal meant Deputy Martin Huizar had no reason to arrest Shirey or whether his actions were inappropriate.

“Your house is mine now.”

Shirey was arrested on July 4th in an incident that was filmed by other people in the house and later posted on YouTube. What appears to be the original video has been viewed around 23,000 times so far, but versions of it have spread across social media and become increasingly popular. Another YouTube channel focused on police issues obtained additional footage and posted a video of the incident, which received around 527,000 views.

In the additional recordings, further details of the incident came to light. Huizar initially rings the doorbell before the door is opened and closed by an unknown person in the house. The deputy, who had been standing a few steps away, opens the door again and enters the house.

He's then standing right on the doorstep when he's confronted by Shirey, who says she'll talk to him outside. Huizar points to the people filming the encounter and says he is in the house because “they opened the door and ran away from me.”

“Now that I’m in your house, I own your house,” he tells Shirey in the video.

Shirey yells at the deputy to leave her house and tells him that her dog will bite him if she asks. During the confrontation, Shirey points at the deputy and leans closer to him but does not touch him, at which point he grabs her and drags her outside to handcuff her.

Additional deputies then arrive to interview the other household members. At first Shirey claimed they were underage, but two later admitted they were 18 and 19 years old. Officers appear to suspect underage drinking and said they could see bottles of alcohol from the door at one point.

The other residents claim the bottles were used by Shirey's guests who later left.

Many of the comments under the videos criticized the officer's behavior and claimed he violated Shirey's civil rights.

A website called the Brady List, run by a private organization that tracks complaints against officers, shows that a complaint was filed against Huizar on Sept. 6.

The sheriff's office also launched an investigation into the incident as the video gained popularity online.

“The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not receive any complaints of wrongdoing or wrongdoing related to this incident before it was posted on social media,” the sheriff’s department told The Desert Sun in early September. “A thorough investigation will be completed, including an administrative inquiry, to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted.”

Because sheriff's department spokespeople did not respond to further questions this week, the status of that investigation was unclear.

Sam Morgen covers the city of Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at [email protected].

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