Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 9, 1993 TAG: 9301090075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium
2 SEEK $24 MILLION IN JAIL SEX ATTACKS
Two jail inmates who claim they were beaten and sexually assaulted by other inmates have filed a $24 million lawsuit against the city sheriff and the jail staff.The men, identified only as Randy and Steve, said guards failed to protect them even though they screamed for help while locked into a cell with their attackers overnight on Dec. 8.
The men contend that the attacks were racially motivated.
In the lawsuit and an interview, Randy, 22, and Steve, 18, said they were raped, forced to perform oral sex on other inmates, stripped naked and made to run a gantlet of prisoners who hit them with shoes and grabbed at them.
They also said they were forced to kiss each other by other inmates who said they didn't want white prisoners in the cellblock.
Five inmates were charged with felonies stemming from the incident. Sheriff John R. Newhart and his staff said they could not comment on the allegations because of the lawsuit, other than to say proper jail procedures were followed.
The two men, who now are being held in the Virginia Beach jail, said required twice-hourly rounds by guards were not made the night of the attacks. A log kept by jail personnel shows the rounds were made.
Randy and Steve were in custody to face burglary charges. During the assaults, they said, other prisoners yelled racial taunts and talked about revenge for the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King.
They said they were knocked out several times and sometimes revived by splashed toilet water. Once, they said, a sheet was knotted around Steve's neck and he was hoisted toward the bars, with Randy trying to hold his feet.
"They said, `Why don't we lynch a white boy this time instead of a black boy,' " Randy said.
Another inmate, James L. Walker, said he was delivering breakfast trays when he noticed that the men were injured and went to the overnight guard's desk for help.
Steve said he suffered intestinal damage, a pierced eardrum and has fuzzy sight in his left eye. Randy reported facial cuts, internal bleeding and said he can't hear out of his left ear. Both men said they have back problems.
Walker said the desk is within hearing of the cellblock where the men were held. The men said that despite their screams, no guards came by after the cells were locked at midnight.