Harris County, Jailers, and Deputies are Being Sued by a Houston, Texas, Man Jailed and Assaulted after an Epileptic Seizure Caused Collisions
A Houston, Texas, driver diagnosed with epilepsy says that seizures caused him to black out as he was driving the night of January 14, 2016. In three separate incidents after the blackout, his car struck three other vehicles. The 26-year-old man woke up as Harris County sheriff’s deputies were knocking on the window of his car. He informed the deputies that he had blacked out due to seizures. Instead of providing him with any type of medical treatment for his condition, seven deputies and jailers and Harris County are accused of errantly placing the man in maximum security at the Harris County Jail. He was incarcerated for only 36 hours, but he says it has tragically altered his life. He was allegedly physically and sexually assaulted in the jail, and deputies have allegedly corroborated that claim. In February 2018, the man filed a federal lawsuit suing those he says are responsible for his ending up in a dangerous situation where he didn’t belong and where he was dehumanized. The man is remaining anonymous and is named as John Doe in the lawsuit, due to his trauma over what happened to him. He said he was afraid of retaliation and ashamed of the sexual assault and therefore chose not to submit a complaint under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.
According to the lawsuit, John Doe was only given medical care just before his wife posted bail at the jail. He says the Harris County Sheriff’s Office has a culture of abuse and disrespect, and he asks for lost wages and damages for his ongoing distress. His sincerest wish, he said, is that he could somehow go back in time so that the sheriff’s deputies would have taken the time to understand that he had a medical episode and needed medical attention, instead of placing him in maximum security.
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