Ex-inmate alleges mistreatment at southwest Missouri jail

NEVADA, Mo. -- A former inmate alleges in a lawsuit he was paraded naked through a southwest Missouri jail and had buckets of water thrown at his face by a jailer who later was charged with shooting an assault rifle at deputies.

The lawsuit Harry Foreman filed this month in Vernon County is the second in recent weeks alleging misconduct at the county's jail.

The Joplin Globe reported a lawsuit filed last month alleged a different inmate, Alexander Trexel, was forced to participate in "fight nights" at the jail.

Vernon County Sheriff Jason Mosher said through his office manager the department hadn't received the latest lawsuit, and it was policy not to comment on pending legal matters. The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages, as well as mandatory training.

Foreman, 49, was arrested March 15 on outstanding felony warrants. Foreman was charged with resisting arrest and fourth-degree assault after he told the officers he didn't know of any warrants and ran away, according to the affidavit.

He eventually was taken to the jail, where his lawsuit alleges a jailer slammed the handcuffed man to the ground when he asked why he had been arrested.

The suit said another jailer, Darris Meyers, took Foreman from a small cell hours later and told him to strip naked and stand in a shower.

The lawsuit said Meyers didn't think Foreman was wetting his hair adequately and brought him through the jail to bind him to a chair usually used for suicidal inmates, although Foreman wasn't suicidal.

The suit said Meyers then rolled Foreman back to the shower and began to throw buckets of water at his face.

Meyers was arrested three days later after calling a dispatcher and threatening suicide, according to the probable-cause statement.

The statement said Meyers shot at responding deputies and admitted after coming out of the house smelling like liquor, he attempted to kill them. One of the bullets went through a neighbor's bedroom.

Meyers, who was fired the same day, is jailed without bond in Cedar County on charges of first-degree assault on a law-enforcement officer, unlawful use of a weapon while intoxicated, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon into an occupied home, as well as two counts of armed criminal action.

His attorney, Tracey Martin, didn't return a phone message from the AP.

Loree Anne Paradise, a spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, said after the initial lawsuit was filed, the office was aware and monitoring but "do not anticipate intervening at this time."

Foreman's lawyer, Tom Porto, said his office would "investigate this matter fully" but declined to elaborate further.