Jail employee files civil rights charges; Spike says complaint is
‘outrageous’
ROCHESTER—A civil rights complaint from Penn Yan resident Patricia A. Fox has been filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.
Fox serves as an employee at the Yates County Sheriff’s Department. She was charged by the county of “falsifying a business record,” from service back in 2002-2004 relating to marking overtime hours on an official department time card, which amounted to a petit larceny charge of $54.30. After a lengthy criminal trial, Fox was acquitted of all six counts from the indictment. There was also an internal administrative ruling against Patricia Fox from the sheriff’s department. Six charges were filed and a ruling against Fox was decided for three of the six charges. Fox is also now appealing that ruling.
This new complaint names the defendants as Yates County, Yates County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Ronald G. Spike, Undersheriff John C. Gleason and Lieutenant Clay Rugar.
The complaint alleges corruption, intimidation, violation of constitutional rights of the plaintiff, malice in the arrest and prosecution of the plaintiff, unlawful and unconstitutional policies, procedures and regulations of the Yates County Jail under the sheriff, undersheriff and lieutenant as well as other employees under their command.
The 18-page civil complaint is detailed with specific charges from Fox. The plaintiff claims that the jail is operated under “The Circle and/or Good Old Boys” to indicate the select group of males that received preferential treatment within the work environment. Fox also charges that a sergeant and a female corrections officer were engaged in sexual intercourse while on-duty at the jail. The plaintiff also states that she observed employees accessing porn sites on the Yates County Jail’s computer during their work shifts.
Sheriff Ronald Spike was contacted for a comment about these charges and he said, “The allegations that have been made in this complaint are outrageous and contrary to what I know the facts to be.”
The attorney for Patricia Fox is Anthony J. LaDuca, Esq. of LaDuca Law Firm in Rochester, N.Y. LaDuca said, “Fox has collected significant audio and written evidence that we will be using at the trial to prove the allegations that we have made.”
DeLuca said the defendants have requested, and the judge has granted, an extension until March 8, 2010 for them to file their responses to the charges. |
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