The Pasco County Sheriff’s Department was forced to admit their error after mislabelling actress Stacey Dash as “white” on their arrest report.
The ‘Clueless’ star pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge, after she was arrested for allegedly slapping and scratching her husband, attorney Jeffrey Marty at their New Port Richey, Florida home on Sunday.
The actress was bonded out of jail by her husband on Monday morning, Sept. 30.
When filling out the arrest report, a deputy mistakenly labeled Dash – who has a Black father and Mexican mother – as “white” on the booking form.
The unfortunate error resulted in a fierce genetics debate on social media. Black Twitter users, who previously revoked Dash’s Black card for being a Trump supporter, were now angry that Dash appeared to abandon the Black community.
As the debate raged on the blogs on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Pasco Sheriff’s Department admitted the mistake, explaining:
“Stacey Dash was never asked her race by the arresting deputy, nor did she volunteer any information about her race. The arresting deputy assumed that she was Hispanic.
“However, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office follows the Department of Justice Uniform Crime Reporting standards and, according to the DOJ reporting requirements the only allowable races are: Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Unknown, or White.”
Hispanic and Mexican are not races. But the sheriff’s representative added that reports do list a Hispanic option if a deputy fills out the booking form by hand. The option is not available on digital (online) copies, so her race will likely not be updated.
Deputies also mistook the star’s middle name for her surname, incorrectly calling her Stacey Dash Lauretta. This led to speculation that the booking sheet was Photoshopped.
Dash has been given access to a public defender because she applied for indigent status and can’t afford a lawyer.
Dash has fallen on hard times since she was fired as a political pundit on Fox News in 2017.
