Federal Civil Rights Criticism Amended to Embrace Police Chief | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

File Photo A state civil rights lawsuit was amended to include Bellaire Police Chief Dick Flanagan as a defendant. The complaint alleges that a woman told Flanagan that Officer Gene Grimm forced her to perform a sexual act on him by threatening to take away children and that Flanagan did nothing about it.

BELLAIRE – A federal civil rights lawsuit was amended to include Bellaire Police Chief Dick Flanagan as a defendant.

According to a copy of the amended complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Ohio District on June 29, Flanagan was named as the defendant, along with the existing defendants, Bellaire Village, Bellaire Police Officer Gene Grimm, and the Bellaire- Police department.

The original complaint against Grimm alleged that he forced a woman to perform a sexual act on him in exchange for not being arrested for having a crack pipe in her purse. This allegedly happened in February 2021.

According to the amended complaint, another woman told Flanagan in May 2019 that Grimm was forcing her to engage in a sexual act or else he would have her children taken away.

The Times Leader did not publish the names of the two women because of the sexual nature of the case.

The first woman told Flanagan that Grimm had been coercing her into sexual acts for quite some time and that she was sick of it.

Flanagan reportedly told the first woman that he would look into it and do something about it. Allegedly, however, Grimm continued to request sexual favors through June 2019. The woman believed that nothing would be done about Grimm’s behavior and that Flanagan tolerated it, according to the complaint.

“Fearing that the worst would happen, (she) moved from the state of Ohio to get away from both of them.” it says in the complaint.

The lawsuit also states: “The de facto policies and / or practices alleged in this lawsuit are individually and collectively the immediate cause of the harm to the plaintiffs, since the accused Grimm had good reason to believe that his misconduct was not would be discovered or reported. ”by anyone, or that he would be immune from any form of disciplinary action, even though his conduct was reported to the Defendant Flanagan in relation to (the first woman).

“Defendant Flanagan knew, or should have known, to investigate (the first woman’s) report that would have prevented what would have happened to (the second woman).”

The lawsuit calls for a jury trial.

Grimm was put on paid leave.

Flanagan declined to comment on his appointment as the defendant on Tuesday, adding that the village had not been informed of the amended complaint. When the village is notified, Flanagan expects the village lawyer to make a statement.

Village attorney Michael Shaheen said late Tuesday that the village chiefs had not yet had an opportunity to discuss the amended complaint.

“”We take each and every one of these allegations very seriously,“Saheen said via text message. “Due to the timing of the submission of the amended complaint, we have not yet had an opportunity to discuss the contents with Chief Flanagan. The same will be dealt with at or before the next council meeting. “

The Bellaire parish council meets regularly every first and third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the parish building.

Get the latest news and more in your inbox