A man is suing Wayne County Sheriff officials after he said he was detained for six days beyond his court-ordered release date when jail officials couldn’t find him in their new facility, according to a federal lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Thursday by Liam West-Campau, 22, of Roseville against Sheriff Raphael Washington, Chief of Jails Robert Dunlap, Wayne County and several unnamed jail staffers.
The facility, which opened Sept. 3, has been criticized by union officials and defense attorneys as being riddled with problems, including staffing shortages, prolonged lockdowns and mechanical failures. County officials have said the reports are overblown.
West-Campau was arrested on Oct. 5 for a parole violation and was taken to the new Criminal Justice Center the next day. Then, on Oct. 8, the court ordered his release and was subject to a $2,000 personal bond and an electronic monitoring system called a tether.
Instead of being released, he was held in jail without access to a phone for several days, the lawsuit says. West-Campau was processed again on Oct. 12 and placed in an eight-person “tether pod”.