MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – A man who was sentenced to spend weekends in the Macomb County Jail is suing the county and eight jail guards, claiming he was violently beaten and shocked with a Taser for no reason.
Charles Dedes said he went to the Macomb County Jail on Jan. 31, 2016, to serve his time on the weekend. He was in Booking B Hall around 9 p.m., playing card games with other inmates when a lockdown was ordered, according to court records.
Recommended Videos
Jail guards Stevina Allen and Daniel Zaliwski ordered all of the inmates to lock down, the lawsuit says. Dedes said he asked why the order was given, so Allen ordered him out of the unit and told him to go to Holding Cell 4.
The lawsuit claims jail guards Matthew Pecha, Steve Marschke, Morgan Cooney, Brad Yadon and Christopher Stimage arrived in the unit and joined Allen and Zaliwski.
Dedes said as he was exiting the area, Allen put her hands on his back and forced him against the wall "for no justifiable reason whatsoever."
Jail guard John Talos was in booking when he saw officers run to B Hall, so he joined them, according to the lawsuit.
Dedes said he was struck several times for no good reason while all eight jail guards surrounded him. He claims he was also violently shoved against the wall by the guards.
Beating details
Zaliwski is accused of kneeing and striking Dedes "for no justifiable reason whatsoever," court records show.
Allen, Marschke, Yadon and Cooney are also accused of striking Dedes unnecessarily.
Pecha is accused of using a Taser on Dedes multiple times.
Stimage is accused of kneeing Dedes in the common peroneal nerve on his right leg, causing him to fall on the ground, the lawsuit states.
Dedes said he was flipped onto his stomach. He said Zaliwski aggressively placed him in handcuffs once he was on the ground and struck him with his knee, even though he wasn't resisting, according to court documents.
Marschke is accused of striking Dedes' shoulders while the handcuffs were being put on, records show.
Stimage "aggressively applied a mandibular jaw technique" behind Dedes' ear even though Dedes was not resisting and was being handcuffed on the ground, according to the lawsuit.
Pecha is accused of using a Taser on Dedes multiple times while he was already handcuffed and on the ground, the lawsuit said.
Talos is accused of putting his knees on the back of Dedes' legs while Dedes was handcuffed on the ground, according to the lawsuit.
Dedes claims Yadon violently kneed him several times in the shoulder blade area and unnecessarily applied pressure behind his left ear.
The lawsuit says Talos pulled Dedes by his feet and dragged him across the floor.
Dedes said he was slammed into the wall in Hall C, causing him to chip a tooth.
He was left in the holding cell for the rest of the weekend without further incident, the lawsuit says.
The jail guards are accused of standing around and watching the beating while they weren't actively participating, the lawsuit says. Dedes claims they didn't try to stop the beating or intervene on his behalf.
Lawsuit details
Dedes is accusing Macomb County and the jail guards of violating the Eighth Amendment and his constitutional rights.
The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and the use of excessive force against prisoners. It requires jail officers to ensure the safety of inmates and intervene to stop unreasonable force, according to the lawsuit.
Dedes alleges the guards violated his Eighth Amendment right by harassing him and using unnecessary force.
He said there was no need to use force against him because he wasn't a threat.
The lawsuit claims the guards "acted maliciously and sadistically for the sole purpose of causing harm to (Dedes) and/or with deliberate indifference to (Dedes') constitutional rights."
The lawsuit accuses Macomb County of failing to train or supervise its corrections officers in regards to the constitutional rights of inmates and the appropriate use of force.
Dedes is requesting $75,000 in the lawsuit.