CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A local sheriff is facing a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit.
The suit claims that Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison wrongfully forced citizens to sit in jail while waiting to see a judge, in some cases for weeks.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant sat down with the woman who brought the suit.
Plaintiff Patricia Davis told Channel 2 Action News that she spent nearly two weeks locked up in the Cherokee County Jail when she should have been able to post bond and go home. Her attorney, Stacy Barnett, claims that hundreds of others may have been in the same boat.
Davis described the 11 days she spent locked up in the Cherokee County Jail earlier this year waiting to see a judge.
"It was terrible. They don't feed you near enough food and it was overcrowded," Davis said. "I don't think I deserved to be there. I think it was absurd."
Davis is now the plaintiff in a federal class action lawsuit filed against Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison and the county itself. The suit claims Garrison has historically not allowed people to post misdemeanor bonds after being arrested for failing to appear in court.
"The case law is clear. If it's a misdemeanor, they're entitled to bond on a bench warrant," Barnett said.
Barnett, who figures the lawsuit could include as many as 2,600, said it could happen as soon as they are booked and processed.
"We've had people that have lost their jobs, spent 30 days in jail for a speeding ticket when that's not supposed to happen," Barnett said.
Davis claims she missed her court date in a reckless conduct case when floodwaters on her property blocked her car. She eventually turned herself in.
"I never dreamed that. I prepared for the worse, but never dreamed that they would actually jail me," Davis said.
Davis' lawsuit seeks a total of $10 million in damages for her and fellow plaintiffs.
"We're not really looking to send a message. We are defending the Constitution. The sheriff has a duty to defend the constitution," Barnett said.