Sheriff, Scott County named in discrimination lawsuit by deputy

A Scott County Sheriff�s deputy is suing the department, county government and Sheriff Wes Drury for alleged discrimination, sexual harassment and other workplace violations, according to court documents filed Thursday.

Deputy Tina Kolwyck�s lawsuit claims, among other allegations, Drury violated the Missouri Human Rights Act by removing her from her position as jail administrator and replacing her with a male deputy in his 20s who had no experience in jail administration. It also claims the defendants created a hostile work environment through sexism and other forms of discrimination.

Kolwyck joined the Scott County Sheriff�s Department as an assistant jail administrator in 2013 and was promoted to jail administrator the following year, becoming the first female jail administrator in Scott County history. Kolwyck�s attorney Laura Clubb said Friday that Kolwyck was highly qualified for the job, having had more than a decade of experience working for the Department of Corrections before joining the sheriff�s department. Clubb also said Kolwyck regularly earned positive reviews from superiors for her work as jail administrator.

In a 2015 article by the Standard Democrat, Kolwyck said, �This is truly in my blood; I don�t see myself ever being able to do another job other than working in corrections. There�s never a dull moment. I like to stay on my toes; I like a challenge.�

The article stated Kolwyck graduated top of her nursing class and she was hired at Southeast Hospital before her 18th birthday. She began a career in law enforcement with the Missouri Department of Corrections in Charleston when she was 21. There, according to the article, she was promoted to sergeant after her first four years.

Tina Kolwyck, left, administrator of the Scott County Jail in Benton, Missouri, and Nathan Rapert, security director for the jail, process a cellphone taken from an inmate during booking at the jail in 2015.Standard Democrat file

In the article, former Sheriff Rick Walter called Kolwyck �very well qualified� for the job, adding �whether male or female, Tina was the best candidate for the job. She puts a lot of time in � nights, weekends.�

But in January 2017, hours after Drury was sworn in as Scott County sheriff and commissioned Kolwyck to continue in her position as jail administrator, Kolwyck noticed she was not listed on the work schedule, according to court documents obtained by the Southeast Missourian. A younger male deputy then told her the jail administrator job was his. When Kolwyck was summoned to a meeting with Drury and three other department leaders, they informed her she�d been demoted to bailiff, according to the documents. Her pay was cut from $33,000 to $28,000, and she was placed under the supervision of �a person who Defendants knew had prior disagreements with Deputy Kolwyck,� according to court documents.

Kolwyck wrote in one document her superiors gave no reason for her demotion, but later announced it to the department in a manner that humiliated her in front of her colleagues and subordinates; the document did not offer specifics on the announcement. She also wrote that Drury later increased her pay to $31,000 �because he learned I am a mother of six children,� but also disrupted her ability to be with her family by reassigning her to a job with difficult and unpredictable hours.

The lawsuit alleges Drury treated Kolwyck unfairly because she was forced to take medical leave in 2016 after suffering a heart attack and because she is a woman. In court documents, Kolwyck accuses Drury and his deputies of making sexist and vulgar remarks about female colleague�s genitals.

�These examples are part of an ongoing pattern of discrimination and the hostile work environment created by Scott County, the sheriff�s department, and the individuals named in this charge,� she wrote in one document.

Drury did not respond to multiple phone calls, voicemails and email seeking comment Friday.

Kolwyck is seeking more than $150,000 in total damages, according to court filings.

Judge David Dolan has recused himself from the case, according to documents filed Friday.

Before he was elected Sheriff, Drury worked as an investigator for the Scott County Prosecuting Attorney�s Office.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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