Hollywood Couple Stopped By Police, Say They Were Racially Profiled

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Hollywood couple Cherie Johnson and Dennis White say they were improperly stopped by police, put in handcuffs and harshly questioned during a recent weekend getaway in South Carolina. They claim the incident took place because of their race.

Johnson, best known for her roles in TV shows “Punky Brewster” and “Family Matters,” and White, from the movie “Notorious,” are speaking out about their treatment by a Marion County sheriff’s deputy on September 22.

“I’ve been stopped by the police before, but I’ve never been fearful for my life,” Johnson told CNN on Sunday. “They need some kind of sensitivity training.”

The Marion County sheriff issued a statement on Monday promising to investigate the allegations of racial profiling.

The couple, who were in the area after conducting an acting workshop in North Carolina, shared White’s account with freelance writer Krystol Diggs, who posted it to CNN iReport. CNN could not independently verify their account but spoke directly to Johnson and Diggs about the incident.

Johnson and White say they were on their way to Myrtle Beach for a quick romantic getaway when they pulled off the rural highway and parked by a cotton field. Johnson said she had never seen cotton before and told White she wanted to take a picture.

As the couple walked back to the car, they said, they noticed a police car with its lights on parked behind theirs. White and Johnson, who are both African-American, say the white officer harshly questioned them about drugs — he found none — and the cash he found in their bags.

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