Walworth County, WI

Walworth County, WI: (May-22-07) Suzanne Shell of El Paso County, CO, an independent journalist, filed charges against the county claiming that two deputies violated her civil rights and injured her during an arrest in the courthouse in 2003. The lawsuit filed in June 2005, alleged that Shell had permission to shoot film in the courthouse for a documentary about a child abuse case when two deputies, Sgt. Tom Hausner and Deputy Thomas Jones, stopped her. One deputy demanded she surrender her videotape or leave. Shell said she agreed to leave but asked one of the deputies for his name. Shell claimed she was handled roughly and injured in the arrest. Counsel for the deputies stated that Shell's allegations were false or exaggerated. Though Shell was charged with disorderly conduct, the charge was dropped in November 2004. In a settlement reached, the county's insurance paid Shell $45,000 with no claim of liability or wrongdoing by the county. [GAZETTE EXTRA: FILM MAKER INJURY]

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Published on May-23-07