SAVANNAH, Georgia (PNN) - July 18, 2012 - Sheriff's deputies deactivated a device that controls a man's Tourette's syndrome and beat him as "a form of amusement" when he could no longer control his physical and verbal actions, the man claims in court.
Charles Ray sued Chatham County Sheriff Al St. Lawrence and jail official Floyd Jackson in Chatham County State Court.
Ray, 34, suffers from Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable tics and may cause obscene outbursts. He suffers from other physiological disorders as well, according to the complaint.
Ray was arrested in July 2010 on drug possession charges and taken to the Chatham County jail.
At the jail, deputies made him pass through a metal detector that shut down his deep brain stimulator, a battery-operated device that controls his Tourette's symptoms.
Upon being transported to his cell, Ray advised the sheriff's deputies that were escorting him that he should not go through the scanning device, as it would affect the batteries in his Tourette's device and render it useless. The deputies ignored his warning and forced him to go through the scanning device, which did turn off his Tourette's device, causing the symptoms of Tourette's to evidence themselves, including jerking of his arms and legs, facial tics, and other neurological actions which evidenced a lack of control on Ray’s part.
Ray says he warned the deputies that he could not control himself without the device and his medication, but they ignored him. He says the deputies denied him medication and made no effort to reactivate his device.
After the metal detector turned the battery off that charged the electrodes for the brain mapping, Ray could not control his physical and verbal actions and the deputies subsequently beat him. He was tied to a chair and made to stay there for hours without food, water or bathroom privileges. While beating and kicking him, the pig thug outlaw deputies considered it a form of amusement and laughed at his protestations.
The pig thug lying fascist deputies, including Officer Floyd Jackson, head of the mental ward, sought to cover up their criminal actions by writing false reports that laid the blame on Ray, falsely claiming that he beat himself against the wall, thereby causing his many injuries.
Ray suffered physical injuries and severe emotional trauma.
He is seeking damages for negligence and infliction of emotional distress.
