Kansas sheriff’s deputy was fired after reporting sexual assault by coworker: lawsuit
A former deputy is suing the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, saying she was fired for reporting that she was sexually assaulted by a fellow deputy.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Kansas Monday, alleges that the sheriff’s office fostered a culture of sexual harassment throughout the plaintiff’s employment and that, after a two-month suspension, her abuser returned to work with no further disciplinary measures.
The sheriff’s office declined to comment on the suit because the office has not been officially served with the documents.
The Star generally does not name victims of sexual assault without their permission. The Star has not named the deputy accused of sexual assault because the paper had not reached him individually for comment as of Tuesday.
According to the suit, the plaintiff and her alleged abuser became friends while working together as deputies.
In January of 2018, however, the other deputy approached the woman at work to ask about the nature of their relationship. The woman insisted they speak later so he came to her house later that day.
When the woman explained to the male deputy that they were nothing more than friends he allegedly cornered her, forced her to kiss him and performed oral sex on her, the suit says.
“In order to avoid any further harm to herself, Plaintiff felt as if she had no other option while being cornered by (the deputy) than to reciprocate,” the suit says.
The next day the suit says the male deputy cornered the woman at work and attempted to kiss her again.
In March the deputy “mustered up the courage” and reported the assault to her supervisor who immediately passed the information on to Leavenworth County Sheriff Andy Dedeke, the suit says.
A meeting was held between the woman, her alleged abuser, her supervisor, the sheriff, the undersheriff, the chief deputy and the jail commander. Following the meeting, the suit says, a criminal investigation was opened and the alleged abuser was suspended for two months.
When her alleged abuser returned to work he was placed on a different shift from the woman but she still saw him often at work, which caused anxiety and panic attacks, the suit claims.
She was told in May that prosecutors had declined to press charges against the male deputy and that he could not be fired due to “employment laws.”
In another meeting the sheriff agreed to transfer the woman. However, the transfer was rescinded two weeks later and replaced with an offer of a civilian position with a pay cut, the suit says.
According to the suit, the woman rejected the offer and was “constructively discharged from the office” in July.
Mollie Hill, general counsel for The Leavenworth County Sherriff’s office said the woman resigned on July 31.
The deputy accused in the assault is still employed as a detention officer, Hill said.
Prior to the assault, the suit says, employees at the office “participated in a work culture consisting of sexually-charged jokes that oftentimes were humiliating and dehumanizing toward women.”
Because of this atmosphere, the woman claimed she had been backed into corners and physically intimidated by male employees and “shushed by a supervisor for voicing an opinion different than her husband’s.”
The woman’s lawyer said it is office policy not to comment on pending litigation once it has been filed.
“As far as (the woman is) concerned it took a lot of strength and courage for her to come forward but she looks forward to her day in court,” said Lauren Allen, the woman’s attorney.
The lawsuit alleges sex discrimination and retaliation.
The Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners, which is also listed as a defendant in the suit, did not respond to the Star’s request for comment in time for publication.
This story was originally published July 9, 2019 at 2:18 PM.
