A federal jury found Bexar County liable after determining that a surveillance-driven traffic stop violated the Fourth Amendment rights of Alek Schott, a Houston father of two who was stopped on Interstate 35 in March 2022.
According to the Institute for Justice, the case centered on a system that used license-plate surveillance to flag ordinary travel, followed by a traffic stop, interrogation, and vehicle search.
Schott was returning from a business trip near Carrizo Springs when Bexar County Deputy Joel Babb stopped his Ford F-250, allegedly because he crossed the highway's fog line. Evidence presented at trial showed Schott stayed within his lane.
Schott was detained for 76 minutes, questioned in the front seat of a patrol car, and had his truck searched after a drug dog alerted. Deputies found no contraband.
The information that prompted the stop was reportedly relayed through a WhatsApp group called the "Northwest Highway Group," with Babb testifying that the tip came from a person known only as "Kiki," whom he believed worked at a federal fusion center in Laredo.
"This is a huge win, and not just for Alek," said the Institute for Justice (IJ) Attorney Christie Hebert. "Motorists across this country are being watched by local, state, and federal agents, flagged by AI-powered cameras, and then pulled over for a bogus offense that exists only as a cover story for an interrogation and a search."
Schott said he initially complained to the Sheriff's Office and was told officials did not see a violation and that he should just sue if he disagreed.
The jury awarded Schott $76, the exact amount for every minute he was detained. IJ said it will ask the court to bar Bexar County from using baseless traffic stops as a tool for warrantless searches.
"Today is vindication, not just for me, but for every driver they ran through that," said Schott.
