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| Suit alleges abuse in Greene County Jail |
| By Springfield News Leader |
| Published: 02/09/2004 |
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Eight individuals sued Greene County (Mo.) Sheriff Jack Merritt and 28 of his deputies last Monday; the inmates claim they were abused while awaiting bail on misdemeanor charges. Jail officials were accused of using stun guns to "torture, abuse or bully" prisoners, even when the weapon was unnecessary, according to the civil lawsuit filed in federal court in Springfield. The 12-count complaint also alleged that jail employees were not adequately trained to move inmates through the booking process, resulting in some prisoners being partially clothed in view of the opposite gender. "We want the jailers dealing with pretrial detainees to stop abusing and humiliating the people they come in contact with," said Bolivar attorney Craig Heidemann, who represented the plaintiffs with Bolivar attorney John Forkner and Springfield lawyers Scott Montgomery and Steven Fenner. Merritt said last Monday he could not discuss specific allegations because he had not viewed the federal complaint. But he said he was unaware of any abuses at the jail, and did not recall receiving complaints from any of the plaintiffs. If someone files a complaint regarding jail treatment, officials will conduct an investigation, he said. Jail employees do not use Tasers unless they need to deter some type of aggressive action, Merritt said. Merritt observed that Tasers - which briefly incapacitate individuals with an electric shock - are a safe, humane approach to deal with difficult or unruly inmates. |
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