Jesus he did it again.
Stark County Ohio Sheriff Faces Second Lawsuit Over Treatment Of Another Woman At Jail
Thursday, March 27, 2008
BY Shane Hoover
Stark County Sheriff faces second lawsuit over treatment of woman at jail
Lake Township woman says she was abused; sheriff denies wrongdoing
CANTON Another lawsuit, another denial by the Stark County sheriff, this time of allegations that a second woman was treated poorly at the jail after being deemed suicidal.
The latest charge comes from Valentina Dyshko of Lake Township, who claims jailers forced her to remove her clothes and mistreated her after an arrest two years ago, even though she wasn't suicidal. Her federal lawsuit is the second alleging the violation of Constitutional rights in the treatment of female inmates considered suicide risks.
Sheriff Tim Swanson denies any wrongdoing by his staff. Dyshko made statements that caused jail staff to take suicide precautions, and his office is ready to take this latest case to court, he said.
"We're prepared to go forward with it, as with the other one," Swanson said.
But one of the lawyers representing Dyshko and the other plaintiff said more lawsuits are on the way.
"What we're seeing is a pattern in these cases and a basic disrespect for human decency," said David B. Malik of Chesterland.
DYSHKO'S CLAIM
Dyshko speaks Ukrainian and understands very little English, according to her lawsuit, filed earlier this month in federal court.
On March 10, 2006, she went to the Stark County Jail after receiving a notice from the sheriff concerning a warrant, according to the lawsuit.
The charges, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, were related to Dyshko's home-schooling of her children. They ultimately were dismissed.
After arresting Dyshko on the warrant, sheriff's deputies told her she was suicidal, even though she wasn't, and forced her to strip, the lawsuit says. Until her release three days later, Dyshko claims she had to wear a light, poorly fitting garment that repeatedly fell off her body and was forced to shower in an open area where men saw her.
On one occasion, as Dyshko used the phone, the garment fell off, exposing her body and prompting laughs from male jail staffers, according to the lawsuit.
The sheriff's office also failed to provide a competent interpreter who could speak Ukrainian, and one employee told her "go back to Russia," the lawsuit says.
"How is this justified? It's not," Malik said. "It's excessive, unreasonable and has to stop."
The sheriff tells a different version. A jail nurse interviewed Dyshko through an interpreter who participated in the conversation via telephone, Swanson said. Something Dyshko said during the screening prompted jail staff to take the suicide precautions, which includes removing an inmate's clothing and replacing it with a loose, tear-resistant garment.
The sheriff wouldn't repeat Dyshko's exact words, citing medical privacy, but said the conversation was recorded and a second interpreter confirmed the initial interpretation.
Jailers never made Dyshko shower where she could be seen by men, and if her garment fell off, it was up to her to keep it on, Swanson said.
The sheriff also said he had no personal knowledge of one of his employees telling Dyshko to "go back to Russia."
