After being beaten by a police officer and forced to spend a night in jail, a Georgia woman had a miscarriage, Courthouse News reports.
“Plaintiff momentarily blacked out and came to with defendant Officer Jenkins sitting on her back, and with his knee on her arm. Plaintiff was pregnant at the time.”
The trouble started when the woman, Kenya Harris, went to an Albany, Ga., police station in 2011 to pick up her son, a minor who had been arrested. Harris allegedly waited five hours before informing officer Ryan Jenkins that she needed to pick up her son, so she could return home to take care of her other children.
Here’s what Harris’s lawsuit says happened next: “Defendant Officer Jenkins stated that he did not appreciate the tone in which she was communicating with him, and further stated that if she continued he would take her head and ‘put it to the floor.’”
Harris then said she needed to leave, and Officer Jenkins sprang to action, allegedly grabbing Harris by her neck and pushing her to the ground.
“Plaintiff momentarily blacked out and came to with defendant Officer Jenkins sitting on her back, and with his knee on her arm. Plaintiff was pregnant at the time,” the lawsuit says. “Defendant Officer Jenkins put handcuffs on plaintiff and slammed her against the wall. Plaintiff was placed into an interrogation room after she was beaten and handcuffed.”
Harris was charged with obstruction of justice and spent the night in jail, where she was reportedly denied medical care. Her lawsuit alleges that her treatment at the hands of this police officer caused her miscarriage. She now seeks $50,000 plus punitive damages for excessive force, assault and battery, and emotional distress.
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly identified the location of the altercation. The officer involved in Harris’s lawsuit is from Albany, Ga. This article has been updated the timeline of events.
H/T Crooks And Liards | Photo via figgenhoffer/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
