Aug 16, 2005 6:04 pm US/Central
Police Officer's Brutality Leads To Lawsuit
2 Investigators Reported Story Of Brutality Allegations
Mike Puccinelli
MARENGO, Ill. (CBS) ―
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Nichole Surber is one of the alleged victims suing Officer Scott Crawford.
CBS
Suburban police officers are accused of using excessive force, and now a $30 million lawsuit is filed against the officers from Marengo.
The 2 Investigators broke the story about the allegations of brutality last month. Now the matter is the focus of a federal lawsuit.
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports one officer has a history of trouble and some of it was caught on tape.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the video tape was worth more than that to the man on the receiving end of Officer Scott Crawford's fists.
He sued and settled for $30,000. The incident also cost Crawford his job with the Waukegan Police Department.
But he was soon hired by the Marengo Police Department where Nichole Surber and five other people say he continued to act as if he was above the law.
"I thought I was going to suffocate," Surber said.
She is referring to her 2004 arrest by Crawford for suspected underage drinking.
"He tackled me to the ground. He sat on me. He lifted me up by my handcuffs and ripped me out of the car by my ankles," Surber said.
Then she says Crawford and his partner allowed a police dog to attack her. She says the arrest left her scarred from the dog's teeth and from Crawford's pummeling.
And she's not alone. Brian and Kevin Gaughn say they were attacked by Crawford two weeks later.
"I had a cerebral concussion. I had a whiplash," Brian Gaughn said.
Brian's father says hospital bills have already added up to $7,000. So they and three other alleged victims of Crawford have filed a $9 million lawsuit against the officer, his female partner and the city of Marengo.
They say police department officials should have known that Crawford was unfit to serve and protect.
"He's unfit to be a police officer because of his propensity for beating victims while they're in handcuffs," said attorney Kevin O'Reilly.
Several of the young people involved in the suit have been charged with felony crimes.
Crawford is on unpaid leave from the Marengo Police Department pending the outcome of a termination hearing.
He still works part time on the Round Lake Heights Police Department.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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