Nathan Winters and Christopher Wing, two local police officers, pulled over 19-year-old college student Tayvin Galanakis for utilizing his high lights in the town on August 28, 2022, in Newton, Iowa. Galanakis was questioned regarding alcohol intake even though he didn’t exhibit any indications of impairment and a breathalyzer test confirmed a blood alcohol content of 0.00. He offered to take a breathalyzer test, but instead he was asked about marijuana usage and put through field sobriety tests. He was taken into custody and then released without being charged following a second drug test at the nearby police station that yielded negative results.
College Athlete, Tayvin Galanakis Arrested
In August 2022, Tayvin Galanakis was taken into custody in Newton, Iowa, on suspicion of drunkenness. Galanakis said he had not taken any alcohol, but the arresting cops, Nathan Winters and Christopher Wing, started questioning him about it. Winters continued with a battery of field sobriety tests, which Galanakis passed in spite of his protests. Galanakis was found to be sober after Winters gave him a breathalyzer test, which revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.00. Winters ignored this and instead focused on Galanakis’s marijuana use, even though there was no proof of drug use. Galanakis was detained and brought to the nearby police station, where additional drug testing revealed no positive results. In the end, he was let free.
Tayvin Galanakis Files a Lawsuit
In February 2023, Tayvin Galanakis filed a lawsuit alleging unlawful arrest and flagrant disrespect for his civil rights against the Newton Police Department and officers Nathan Winters and Christopher Wing. Winters and Wing pulled Galanakis over late at night in Newton, Iowa, which sparked the incident. Galanakis insisted he had not had any alcohol, but Winters went ahead and administered a battery of field sobriety tests, culminating in a breathalyzer test with a zero blood alcohol content. Despite this, Winters detained Galanakis for driving under the influence before focusing on Galanakis’s marijuana usage even though there was no proof of drug use.
Body camera footage from the incident, which Galanakis subsequently published online, gained over 2 million views on YouTube and sparked intense backlash.
Tayvin Galanakis Latest Update, February 2024
Galanakis’s case was allowed to proceed by a federal court in February 2024, who stated that a reasonable juror “could conclude that Winters violated Galanakis’s clearly established constitutional rights.”
As a result of Galanakis’ “speech and movements being not even remotely consistent with someone under the influence of a controlled substance,” Judge Stephen H. Locher determined that Winters lacked probable cause to arrest him.” saying, “Galanakis insisted almost from the first moment that he wanted to blow into a breathalyzer, which would be a remarkable act of bravado for someone under the influence.”
Nevertheless, Galanakis’s win isn’t entirely assured by the decision. Galanakis’s remarks that Winters “is not fit mentally for the job and physically” and “is on the slow side of the spectrum” weren’t deemed derogatory by Locher. Locher did determine, however, that Winters may carry on suing Galanakis for defamation due to Galanakis’ statement indicating that Winters had been “convicted” of domestic violence. Winters has never been charged with domestic violence, much less found guilty of it, despite the fact that his ex-girlfriend filed an affidavit alleging assault and secured a domestic abuse restraining order.
In conclusion, Tayvin Galanakis was wrongly arrested by police on the evening of August 28, 2022, even though he didn’t exhibit any indications of drinking and passed a breathalyzer test that proved he was sober. This resulted in a court struggle where a federal judge allowed some of the officers’ defamation action against Galanakis to proceed while also finding favor of certain of Galanakis’ allegations against the cops.