CHARLESTON – A former inmate is suing a penitentiary and its staff members for alleged improper treatment and injuries sustained during his incarceration.
Kenneth Aliff filed the suit on Aug. 21 in the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correction Facility Authority, Austin G. Burke, Travis Crook, Daniel Simons, and John Doe correctional officers/Special Response Team members, citing assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress/outrageous conduct, violation of the Constitution and state regulations, negligence, and other violations.
According to the complaint, in or around spring of 2014 when Aliff was an inmate at the Southern Regional Jail, the defendants conducted a raid or training session using the Special Response Team. Aliff claims that during this session, the defendants assaulted, battered and used excessive force on him, including shooting him with a beanbag gun, threatening excessive force, using flash grenades to disorientate and scare him, and conspiring to hide and destroy evidence of wrongdoing in the incident. The complaint also states that the defendants and correctional staff were under-trained and under-supervised.
Aliff is requesting a trail by jury and is suing for an undisclosed amount of compensatory money for punitive damages, assault, mental and emotional distress, injuries, embarrassment, court fees, and any other rewards deemed fit by the jury. Plaintiff is represented by attorney Paul M. Strobel of Strobel & Johnson, PLLC office in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Tod J. Kaufman.
Kanawha County Circuit Court case number 15-C-1598.
