WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CHARLESTON - A Danville resident has filed a suit against several state troopers, claiming they beat her while she was in custody after being arrested at a Logan County gentlemen's club.

Angela Denise Bunting filed the suit Sept. 9 in Kanawha Circuit Court against four Troopers, Col. David Lemmon and the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, West Virginia State Police.

According to the suit, Bunting was arrested Sept. 14, 2006, after an altercation at a gentlemen's club in Logan County. Troopers Simmons and Jones responded to the scene and transported Bunting to the local department.

Bunting claims she was placed in handcuffs and leg chains during transport, and upon arrival at the police department was placed on a bench and shackled to the floor with a handcuff and chain.

"Once Ms. Bunting was shackled to the floor, Troopers Simmons, Jones, Fry and John Doe began to systematically beat the person of Ms. Bunting," the suit says. "Ms. Bunting was beaten with hands, fists, knees, feet and elbows."

Bunting claims one officer used pepper spray to spray on Bunting's unprotected genitalia. She claims she was beaten on the face, stomach, back, arms, torso and legs.

According to the suit, Bunting was screaming in pain during the beating.

"In an attempt to make the beating stop, Ms. Bunting, who had blood in her mouth after having been hit in the face by one of the Defendants, spit blood at the Defendants and proclaimed that she was HIV-positive," the suit says.

Bunting was then charged with attempted murder as a result of having spit blood at the defendants. However, she was not infected with HIV and the criminal charge was later dismissed, the suit says.

In the nine-count suit, Bunting claims she suffered emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, loss of self-confidence and trust and economic loss, including but not limited to medical expenses and loss of income.

Bunting claims the defendants acted in ways that violated state law, including malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence.

Attorney Mark French is representing Bunting. The case has been assigned to Judge Tod Kaufman.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 08-C-1739