Stacey Dash was recently arrested on a domestic battery charge in Florida after an incident with her husband. In her final arrest report, the actress was labeled as “white,” leading many to believe that is how she chose to self-identify.
However, TMZ is now reporting that this specific detail was the result of an error made by the Pasco County police and the Clueless star actually did not volunteer her race.
A spokesperson for the Pasco Sheriff’s Department told the site that Dash — who has an African-American father and Mexican-American mother — “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.”
He added, however, that there was no way to classify the actress based on his assumption.
“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.”
The spokesperson added that while reports do list a Hispanic option if a deputy chooses to fill it out manually, most tend to use their computers, which do not have the option.
That was not the only error made in the report. As seen below, her name was printed as “Stacey Dash Lauretta.” The spokesperson clarified that this will be corrected on the official arrest record.
The spokesperson added that Dash’s race, however, will remain unchanged since she never specified how she identifies during her arrest.
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