Woman who claims sexual assault at Fayette County Jail files lawsuit against jail officials

A Fayette County woman who claimed she was sexually abused by other inmates at the county jail is suing prison officials, claiming she was “condemned to pain and anguish by the physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect she suffered.” “been”.

In the 54-page federal lawsuit, filed Sept. 30 in Pittsburgh, the woman alleges that the prison administration, staff and leadership failed to provide a safe environment and a culture of corruption existed when she was allegedly imprisoned The attack in October 2022 after her incarceration was a violation of probation.

The federal lawsuit names numerous county officials who serve in their roles on the prison board, as well as a dozen high-ranking prison administrators, prison guards, supervisors, nurses and other office staff. The three women who were accused of sexually assaulting the plaintiff are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

The accuser was on probation for a retail theft conviction and was jailed after missing a domestic relations court hearing. Court documents allege that on October 1, 2022, three additional female inmates entered her cell and both physically and sexually assaulted her. The woman, whose name is included in federal court documents, is not being identified by the Herald-Standard newspaper because of the nature of the alleged attack.

The lawsuit says she “screamed for help” but none of the four correctional officers on duty came to her aid. After the incident, she continued to scream for medical help, but none came for hours, the lawsuit says.

The nurse who eventually treated her refused her request to press charges and criminally charge the other inmates, the lawsuit says. Another nurse who treated her later that morning advised her to report the incident, and she eventually spoke to Uniontown police before being taken to Uniontown Hospital for evaluation. The three inmates were charged in January 2023, but there are currently no online court records in the state’s criminal database, indicating that the cases against all three were eventually dropped and the records expunged.

The lawsuit alleges she was concerned about her safety upon her return, which was compounded by the fact that her cellmate, who reported the incident to prison guards, was subsequently allegedly attacked by the same inmates.

“The actions and inaction on the part of the Fayette defendants following the plaintiff’s attack underscore the disturbing reality that the defendants had no regard for, and no concern whatsoever for, the safety, security, and constitutional rights of their inmates.” “an extremely dangerous subculture in which sexual predator staff thrives and exploits vulnerable female inmates,” the lawsuit states.

She was released from prison two days after the incident. Prison officials claimed this was due to her “condition requiring medical treatment/mental health needs,” without mentioning the incident. The four prison guards were suspended later that week after a special meeting of the county prison board, the lawsuit says.

“For decades, a culture of employee abuse and corruption was perpetrated and tolerated at the (Fayette County Jail) and perpetuated by repeated cover-ups at all levels within the FCP. From inmates to guards to supervisors to counselors and supervisors at all levels, various abuses and risks were both known and ignored,” the lawsuit says.

The woman claims her Fourth, Eighth and 14th Amendment rights were violated and is seeking more than $75,000 in damages. The accuser’s Philadelphia-based attorney, Paul Bucci, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Fayette County Attorney John Purcell said Thursday he was unaware of the federal lawsuit but planned to investigate the matter.