A Marion County man has filed a lawsuit against two police officers, alleging they arrested him without cause after a neighbor complained about loose dogs.
Over the weekend, Jeremy Stacey filed the lawsuit in Chattanooga's federal courthouse against the city of Jasper, former Officer Lillian Lockhart and Officer Cody Pittman.
Stacey has requested $3 million in damages for over a dozen civil issues, including unreasonable search without probable cause, malicious prosecution, negligence and false arrest, and false imprisonment, the complaint said.
Lockhart, who is at the center of Stacey's lawsuit, was indicted in October for allegedly reporting for duty while intoxicated. She is accused of showing up drunk July 26 and responding to calls for service in her police vehicle.
(READ MORE: DA to review Jasper traffic stop after video shows officer punching passenger)
"The complaint speaks for itself," Stacey's attorney, Robin Flores, said by phone. "We don't know for sure, but when you got someone who is going to work as a police officer drunk, that didn't just happen overnight."
Jasper's city attorney did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
STACEY'S INCIDENT
Lockhart arrived at Stacey's Alton Drive home Dec. 3 after his neighbor made an animal complaint, the lawsuit said.
Stacey's neighbor told a Marion County 911 operator that loose dogs came from a residence on Woodland Avenue, and Stacey was home with his family putting up Christmas decorations at the time.
He opened the door, and Lockhart allegedly told him she was there on a courtesy call about loose dogs.
Stacey said his dogs were not loose, but she allegedly insisted the dogs belonged to him, the lawsuit said.
Lockhart became agitated and raised her voice at Stacey, who told her he was done talking about the matter and was going back in his home since the situation was a courtesy call, the lawsuit said.
When he turned to go inside, Lockhart allegedly grabbed him by his arm and demanded he provide his identification to her, the lawsuit said. Lockhart then called for backup, and Pittman and two sheriff's office deputies showed up.
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Pittman ultimately handcuffed Stacey, and his wife, Rebecca, came out onto the porch and saw what was happening.
"Rebecca called Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnett and told him what was happening and that two of his deputies were present," the complaint said. "Sheriff Burnett then directed the two deputies to leave the situation, and they complied."
Lockhart allegedly told Stacey's wife to take her a-- back inside, or she was going to jail, the lawsuit said.
Stacey was charged with resisting and transported to the Marion County Jail. He was released on his own recognizance, and the state dismissed the charges against him soon after.
By the time the lawsuit was filed, Lockhart and Pittman had allegedly not faced any investigation or discipline in connection with Stacey's arrest, the complaint said.
"No reasonable law enforcement officer would have acted in this manner," the lawsuit said.
PAST INCIDENTS
The city of Jasper allegedly has a history of condoning police officer misconduct and hiring officers with a history of misconduct, the lawsuit said.
Officer Justin Graham was hired as an officer despite allegedly having a history of falsifying testimony during a jury trial, the lawsuit said.
Samuel Hryncewiz then accused Officers Graham and Derrick Long of using excessive force on him Aug. 5, 2023.
(READ MORE: District attorney rules Jasper, Tennessee, officer's use of force was lawful)
"The incident was captured on video and widely disseminated on the internet and the Chattanooga area media outlets," the lawsuit said.
The incident resulted in Graham using physical violence on Hryncewiz, which included Graham's use of fists to Hryncewiz's face, use of pepper spray on Hryncewiz, and use of a Taser on Hryncewiz, who offered no physical violence against Graham or Long, the lawsuit said.
After Hryncewiz objected to Graham's demand to provide identification, Graham allegedly also threw him face-first onto pavement and continued to strike him and needlessly twist his leg, the lawsuit alleges.
Hryncewiz was charged with resisting arrest and assault an officer, which the state later dismissed, the lawsuit said.
Chief of Police Billy Mason complimented Graham and Long to different media outlets rather than conduct a full investigation, the lawsuit said.
Then, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation started looking into allegations of Lockhart's misconduct in July.
The city of Jasper did not terminate Lockhart until after she was criminally indicted.
All of the facts reveal a lack of training and supervision by city officials and its police command structure, the lawsuit said.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.