Benton County, former sheriff found not at fault in federal court case
BENTON COUNTY, Tenn.- After more than three years, a federal lawsuit against Benton County, their former sheriff and more than a dozen deputies is decided, Wednesday.
After almost two weeks in court, a jury said the county was not at fault in the civil suit. It stems from an incident at the home of Dan Holloran in June of 2012, where deputies arrested him and more than 100 others during a party.
Holloran later filed suit against the sheriff’s department, claiming his civil rights were violated.
But the victory for the county has officials breathing a sigh of relief.
“Me and the officers that were involved at the time, I think there were 15 of us. None of us ever thought we did anything wrong. There were suggestions by the plantiffs but that wasn’t the finding of the jury,” said former Sheriff Tony King
“A case of this magnitude has a great impact on our community and we’re glad to have won this case,” said Commissioner Morris Rogers of Benton County.
The county attorney said a lawsuit is still pending at the state level, but a date has not yet been set.
County leaders have also not estimated how much money they may owe in legal fees.
