CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County couple is suing the city of Chesapeake and three of its police officers in a case of alleged police brutality.
Michael Dean Frank Dorsey and his wife, Betty Lou Dorsey, filed a lawsuit March 29 in Kanawha Circuit Court against the town of Chesapeake, Opie Smith III, C.L. Roberts, Police Chief Jack Ice, and the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, alleging assault and battery, wrongful arrest and negligence.
According to the complaint, Dorsey was stopped by police in his driveway on Jan. 29, 2015, allegedly for an expired registration tag. The suit says officers Smith and Roberts used a Taser on Dorsey and arrested him, attempting to jail him overnight. However, Dorsey says he lost consciousness in his cell and was taken to the hospital, where he underwent heart catheterization and coronary cineography proceedures, as well as a double bypass, allegedly due to being Tasered.
The Dorseys seek a jury trial, punitive and compensatory damages, interest, and litigation costs. They are represented by attorneys Scott S. Segal and C. Edward Amos II of The Segal Law Firm in Charleston. Judge Jennifer F. Bailey is assigned to the case.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case number 16-C-450