Ravenswood PD accused of false arrest

RIPLEY - Two top officers in one Jackson County municipality’s police department are accused of violating a woman’s civil rights.

The City of Ravenswood and its police department are named as co-defendants in a lawsuit filed Oct. 25 by Maxine Speece Fisher. In her complaint filed in Jackson Circuit Court, Fisher alleges RPD Chief Lance Morrison, and Captain Bernard Fox falsely arrested her two years ago.

Both Morrison and Fox are named as co-defendants in the suit.

According to the suit, Morrison and Fox paid Fisher a visit at her home on Oct 26, 2011. The reason for their visit is unclear from the complaint.

However, in the course of it, Fisher alleges while on her front porch, Fox spit in her face, insulted her concerning her familial relationship to the former police chief and otherwise “invaded her space.” As a result, Fisher told Fox to get his “pig-face” away from her, and both he and Morrison to get off her property, the complaint says.

Instead, she says both grabbed her, twisted her arms behind her back and placed her under arrest. She alleges they deliberately roughed her up knowing she has “serious impediments of her spine.”

According to the complaint, she was later taken to Jackson Magistrate Court and charged with one count each of disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer. On an unspecified date, the charges were dismissed following Fisher’s agreement to pre-trial diversion.

In the suit, Fisher claims she did nothing to provoke Morrison’s and Fox’s actions. The manner in which they arrested her, Fisher says, caused her spinal condition to be aggravated, which resulted in stimulator implant two months ago.

As result, Fisher alleges this has resulted in her not only her incurring “embarrassment, humiliation, aggravation and inconvenience” but also a loss of consortium with her husband, Argyle D. Fisher II, who is named as co-plaintiff in the suit.

Along with ones for civil rights violations, the Fishers make claims against the city, Morrison and Fox for intentional infliction of emotional distress, battery, negligent retention and hiring, false imprisonment, civil conspiracy, negligent training and supervision and malicious prosecution. They seek unspecified damages, attorneys fees and court costs.

The Fishers are represented by Charleston attorney David R. Karr, Jr. The case is assigned to Judge Thomas C. Evans III.

Jackson Circuit Court case number 13-C-133