A former Christian County Judicial Center employee has reportedly filed suit because he allegedly never received his final paycheck after being fired in Aug. 2012. He also alleges that, when he went to collect his final paycheck and turn in the county property he still had in his possession, the deputy he spoke to refused to give him a copy of a signed log listing all of the equipment returned. The suit then alleges that, when the employee attempted to leave with the paperwork, the deputy assaulted him. The man says that the deputy ‘attempted to put him in a chokehold” as he was leaving the building.
The employee rights lawsuit seeks financial damages against three specific deputies, including the one who allegedly committed the assault. The victim says that, as a current employee of the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, in his duties he must often visit his former workplace and that he is subject to more intense scrutiny than other officers are. He also is seeking an injunction against the three men named in the suit, refraining them from withholding wages in the future.
Reports say that the sheriff’s office has not received missing equipment from the former employee, and that is the reason the man has not received his final paycheck. However, the lawsuit claims that the sheriff’s office has not given the man any documentation listing the alleged missing county property and that the man has asked for paperwork regarding the equipment eight times or more.
The Christian County Sheriff himself has not responded to the allegations because of the pending lawsuit. It is unclear whether the sheriff’s office will attempt to settle with the former employee or if the case will proceed to trial.
Source: News-Leader, “Suit alleges rancor over website”, Stephen Herzog, December 31, 2013
