Former Kansas City inmate alleges sexual assault at detention center: Court documents
A Kansas City woman is suing a behavioral health center that temporarily housed a municipal jail in 2019, alleging an employee sexually assaulted her while she was in solitary confinement.
The woman, identified in court documents as J.W.K., was incarcerated at the Heartland Center for Behavioral Change, 1514 Campbell St. when it served as a city jail for the latter half of 2019.
The Jackson County Detention Center’s agreement with Kansas City to house its detainees charged in municipal court ended on June 25, 2019. In the interim, the city rented 110 beds — 85 for municipal inmates and 25 for people detained by the Kansas City Police Department — from Heartland.
Heartland was used as a jail from June 27 until Dec. 31, 2019, when the facility lost its liability and workers’ compensation insurance policies following one death, two escapes and numerous safety concerns.
J.W.K. entered Heartland on Nov. 1, 2019. She alleges she was sexually assaulted on Nov. 4 by a Heartland employee.
J.W.K. was in solitary confinement at the time of the alleged assault, according to court documents. The lawsuit claims that Heartland did not install security cameras with a view of the solitary confinement holding cell or its entrance.
The Heartland Center for Behavioral Change was not available Tuesday to comment on the pending litigation.
J.W.K.’s lawsuit names Heartland and its CEO and president, Kyle Mead, as a defendants.
A case management conference regarding the lawsuit has been scheduled for Feb. 18, 2025.
Previous reporting by Allison Kite and Steve Vockrodt was used in this article.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 6:45 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly described the jurisdiction holding a person in custody at the time of an alleged assault. The person was in the custody of Kansas City authorities.
