WATCH: Exclusive video of deputies “unlawfully” arresting jail head obtained by First Alert 4 Investigates
UPDATE: First Alert 4 Investigates has obtained surveillance video showing the incident Wednesday evening.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A deputy commissioner for St. Louis’ jail is now suing the city’s sheriff after he reportedly directed a deputy to arrest her last month.
First Alert 4 Investigates first reported the incident on Feb. 14.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Deputy Jail Commissioner Tammy Ross accuses Sheriff Alfred Montgomery of False Arrest/Imprisonment, Battery and a Violation of Civil Rights.
The suit says on Feb. 14, Sheriff Montgomery and several of his deputies came to the St. Louis City Justice Center, requesting to interview a detainee.
That detainee had reportedly made an allegation of sexual assault against one of the Sheriff’s deputies.
The suit says Montgomery also made the same request the day before but says each time, Ross told Montgomery she needed to get approval from the legal department and the Public Safety Department before she could allow him to interview the detainee.
St. Louis police have since told First Alert 4 Investigates they were and are continuing to investigate the sexual assault claim.
The suit says Montgomery insisted on seeing the detainee, and when Ross refused, he reportedly told her she was “in contempt,” according to the suit and instructed one of his deputies to handcuff Ross.
At that time, the suit says, the deputy cuffed Ross behind her back and ordered her to walk over to the Sheriff’s Office in the nearby Carnahan Courthouse.
The suit says that was unlawful.
“The arrest of Deputy Commissioner Ross was made without legal justification and without a warrant; she was not engaged in criminal activity of a nature to warrant her seizure and detention without reasonable suspicion…” the suit reads.
Further, the suit says while Ross was detained and handcuffed, Montgomery made several threatening statements to her and indicated that he was going to detain her for forty-eight hours. Montgomery, the suit says, insisted he had the legal and constitutional ability to do that.
The suit provides new clarity on how Ross says the incident ended:
“After some period of detention, Montgomery’s attorney Blake Lawrence whispered into Montgomery’s ear something, and shortly thereafter Acting Commissioner Ross was told she would be released and that she could go back to work.”
The suit says Ross suffered “embarrassment, humiliation, and emotional distress,” as well as physical injury.
It further states that the deputy unlawfully and intentionally assaulted and battered her by grabbing her arms and handcuffing her at the request of Montgomery.
Previous Coverage
It lastly claims that the arrest was a violation of Ross’ constitutional rights.
The sheriff has defended his actions relative to Ross’ arrest.
“I’m a man of law and order. No one is above the law, nobody is above the law,” Sheriff Montgomery told First Alert 4 earlier in the month, claiming he had every right to conduct an investigation into the alleged sexual assault. “The commissioner denied access to the sheriff’s office to the jail, which impeded on the process of the sheriff’s office.”
City officials have called for federal investigations, but no charges have been filed.
There have also been no charges on the deputy accused of sexual assault.
In the weeks since, several former deputies have also accused Montgomery of discrimination and wrongful termination, as well as abuse of power.
The City has claimed that the Sheriff has lied repeatedly about the facts regarding Ross’ arrest.
It’s unclear from the suit, exactly what threatening statements Ross claims Montgomery said or how long she was in handcuffs.
Blake Lawrence responded to our inquiries saying, if he did whisper in Montgomery’s ear, what he said would be privileged.
He also reiterated the sheriff’s previous claims, writing: “Ross has absolutely zero authority to prevent the Sheriff from entering his own floor on the CJC.”
Joe Neill is also separately suing the sheriff. As a previous employee, until Montgomery took office, Neill claims in a lawsuit that the Sheriff’s Office owes two days of back pay.
This is a developing story. Check back for additional details.
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