Woman accuses state trooper of excessive force in traffic stop

Charish Jones, 37, said she was afraid when a trooper stopped her on Jones Sausage Road at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday with her 15-year-old in the back seat.

"He said, 'You ran that red light.' I said it was yellow. He said, 'Are you stupid?'" Jones said Monday, noting the exchange prompted her to start videotaping the encounter.

"His words were laced with venom," she said.

In the video, Trooper Zach Bumgardner asks Jones to get out of her car.

"Why would I need to step out of the car?" she asks.

"Because I'm asking you to," Bumgardner replies.

"Why? I don't feel comfortable," Jones says.

When Bumgardner persists, Jones refuses to comply.

"You're going to step out, or you're going to jail," Bumgardner says.

Jones finally relents, but she said that's when Bumgardner tried to pull her to the back of the car away from her daughter.

"I went to get back in the vehicle. That's when he grabbed me by my neck and pulled me to the back of the vehicle, and that's when you hear me yelling for help," Jones said Monday.

Pete Rubino, a retired a police officer who helps train officers in police procedure, said he believes the trooper could have done more to de-escalate the situation.

"The officer doesn't articulate his necessity to have her step out," Rubino said. "There needs to be some further questioning on why the officer is asking her to step out of the vehicle. He should articulate for her safety and for his safety so he can talk to her."

Drivers have a right to ask another officer to be called to the scene, Rubino said.

"That driver does have the right to say, 'I'm in a dark area. I don't feel comfortable. I've had an issue with a police officer before. Can you send a second officer to assist?'" he said.

Jones, who has no criminal record, was charged with resisting arrest.

"I'm 4-foot-10. I pose no threat to him," she said. "He should be accountable for his actions."

Highway Patrol spokesman First Sgt. Michael Baker said the agency is aware of the incident and is looking into it. Bumgardner remains on patrol during the review, he said.

Video from Bumgardner's dashboard camera clearly shows Jones running the red light, Baker said, and she was charged after she tried to get back into her car during the stop.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman is reviewing the incident. She said her office will request any video from body-worn or dashboard cameras that can help determine what happened.

Bumgardner was the first law enforcement officer on the scene when Kyron Hinton was beaten and attacked by a police dog in April 2018. Three Highway Patrol troopers and a Wake County deputy were charged in that case, but Bumgardner was not.