FBI orders release of documents in Wilkerson police brutality case
The Williamson Daily News
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RACHEL C. DOVE
Staff Writers
WILLIAMSON - A federal magistrate has ordered the release of FBI documents in connection with a lawsuit that claim a mentally ill Mingo County man was assaulted by officers from three police agencies.
The Williamson Police Department, Mingo County Sheriffs Department and West Virginia State Police are being named in a lawsuit that alleges those departments physically attacked 22-year-old Calvin Jarrod Wilkerson.
The documents were released in response to a motion filed by state police attorneys.
Trooper B.R. Moore, Sr. Trooper C.D. Kuhn, and Cpl. S.T. Harper of the State Police, Mingo County Sheriff Lonnie Hannah and Deputy Chris Haynes, Williamson Patrolman John Hall and the Mingo County Commission are also named as defendants.
The lawsuit st! ems from an incident in January 2009.
Wilkersons mother had asked that he given a mental hygiene evaluation. He was in the custody of Mingo County Sheriffs Deputy Chris Haynes when his mother asked that his handcuffs be removed to allow Wilkerson to eat.
After eating, Wilkerson said he did not want to be institutionalized, and began to struggle with Deputy Haynes, who requested assistance from Patrolman Hall. The suits says that while Haynes and Hall struggled with Wilkerson, WVSP officers Kuhn, Moore and Harper arrived.
Wilkerson was restrained, and taken to the Williamson Detachment of the WVSP. The lawsuit alleges that Wilkerson was purposely tripped as he exited the cruiser.
At the detachment, Wilkerson managed to slip from handcuffs and flee the building on foot, the suit claims, at which point police dogs were used to chase Wilkerson.
The lawsuit claims that, as the dogs attacked Wilkerson, officers kicked and struck him.
Wilkerson was transported to Williamson Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries, where hospital personnel were prohibited from photographing those injuries. After receiving medical treatment, he was transported to Southwestern Regional Jail.
The lawsuit claims Wilkersons constitutional rights were violated, and the actions of the defendants were reprehensible, fraudulent, willful and wanton, malicious and in blatant intentional disregard of Wilkersons rights.
WVSP Capt. David Nelson said Due to the familys attempt to try to sue us and our legal division looking into this, I would be ill-advised to comment at this time. I can say though, we have nothing to hide.
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