DUCHESNE — A former Duchesne County corrections deputy has sued the county and the sheriff's office, claiming he was subjected to "ongoing harassment and retaliatory behavior" after he reported two co-workers for using inmate uniforms as Halloween costumes.
In a "whistleblower" lawsuit filed Wednesday, Brady Davis said he saw a picture on Facebook in late October 2014 of a sheriff's lieutenant wearing an inmate uniform and another deputy dressed in a smock issued to prisoners who are placed on suicide watch. The men, who both work in the jail, appeared to be at a Halloween party and the deputy dressed in the smock "was pretending to hang himself," the lawsuit states.
Shortly after Davis reported the photo, his supervisors told him that they planned to give him a written warning and extend his probationary period as a new employee, according to the complaint. The discipline prevented Davis from receiving additional training needed for advancement, the lawsuit states.
Davis was also ridiculed in front of other employees by the lieutenant he had reported, the complaint states. He claims he reported the ongoing harassment, but nothing was ever done to stop it.
Davis said he told the sheriff's office in January that he intended to resign the following month "due to the hostile work environment." In his lawsuit, he said he was fired one week before his intended resignation date; however, county employment records show Davis resigned on Feb. 5.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked for such a great group and (for) the opportunity to help the people of Duchesne County," Davis wrote in a resignation letter obtained Thursday by KSL-TV through a public records request.
After he left Duchesne County, Davis got a job at the Beaver County Jail. Someone called the Beaver County Sheriff's Office in late May to report that Davis "was a bad employee" in Duchesne County and should be fired from his job, according to the complaint.
"Duchesne County is sending a message to their employees that, if you follow the law and you report unlawful conduct, we're going to come after you. We're going to discipline you, we're going to harass you, and we're going to terminate you," said Jonathan Thorne, an attorney representing Davis.
Deputy Duchesne County attorney Tyler Allred said the county hadn't been served with a copy of the complaint Thursday so he could not comment on it. The county did receive written notice in April though that Davis believed he was "terminated for whistleblowing" and planned to file a lawsuit, Allred said.
"We believe those allegations (in the notice of claim) to be completely false," Allred said. "Mr. Davis voluntarily resigned from the sheriff's office because he had accepted a job elsewhere."
Davis' lawsuit does not specify how much money he is seeking. Instead, it asks the court to award money for lost wages and benefits, as well as general and punitive damages.
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