TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims that Shawnee County sheriff’s deputies arrested a deaf woman after having trouble communicating with her and the jail didn’t provide an accessible phone.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Carolyn Hans claims Shawnee County and the sheriff’s office failed to provide her services required under federal law during her encounter with law enforcement. The suit also contends that the sheriff’s office refused to allow her to file a police report using an accessibility service, instead telling her she needed to hire an interpreter.
The lawsuit indicates Hans likely seeks upwards of $75,000.
County counselor Rich Eckert says the county is aware of the lawsuit, but declined to comment on it. The sheriff’s office general counsel, Matthew Boddington, said he hadn’t heard of the suit.