A lawsuit asking $250,000 in damages has been filed against the county in an incident in which a female prisoner with a prior head injury was injured at the workhouse at Silverdale.
Leslie Michelle Hayes is also suing CCA, which operates the workhouse for the county, along with Deputy Daniel Hendrix, and CCA employees Caressa Martin and Bernard King.
The Circuit Court complaint says Deputy Hendrix transported Ms. Hayes to the workhouse last Aug. 15.
Her feet and hands were shackled.
It says Ms. Hayes complied with a command to turn her back to Deputy Hendrix and lean forward into a large metal counter.
The suit says the deputy "without lawful cause jerked plaintiff by the shackles on her feet and lifted her to a nearly vertical and prone position and held her suspended only by her shackled feet while her left shoulder was on the edge of the large metal counter."
It says Ms. Hayes "fearing for her life and safety, tried to pull away from Hendrix or defend herself against Hendrix's violent assault. Hendrix became enraged and yanked on plaintiff's right leg and pulled her from the large metal counter about one to two feet causing her to fall hard onto her left side and strike her head onto the hard tiled floor with excessive force."
The suit says the deputy then dropped to his knees and "with his closed fists repeatedly struck the plaintiff in the face and head, and then used his 'OC' spray" on her.
It says the two CCA employees observed the incident, but did not stop it.
The complaint says the incident was caught on video and that Deputy Hendrix was suspended.
The suit, filed by attorney Robin Flores, asks $150,000 in compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages.