HARRISBURG, Ark. — A man who claims he was falsely arrested has filed a lawsuit alleging several constitutional and civil rights violations by the sheriff’s department in Poinsett County.
The lawsuit was filed on June 25, 2024 in United States District Court, in the Eastern District of Arkansas. Travis Davis, represented by Joseph Hughes, is suing the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Kevin Molder, Deputy Jason Thomas, and Deputy Dillon Pigue.
According to the lawsuit, Travis Davis, a black male, 31-years-old, and a resident of Poinsett County, was driving around with his wife around 9 PM on January 14, 2023. The two came upon Davis’s sister-in-law, Ashley Shannon, at the residence of her estranged husband, Dustin Shannon, located at the 4800-block of Old Military Lane in Harrisburg. The Shannons were at the time involved in a custody dispute. The lawsuit says Davis’ wife called the sheriff’s department to request a welfare check on Ms. Shannon, fearing she was being held against her will.
As they waited on authorities, Davis and his wife pulled into the driveway of the residence next door, which was owned by the Mr. Shannon’s mother, the lawsuit says.
Deputy Thomas arrived; the lawsuit notes he is a white male. The plaintiff and his wife informed the deputy of the sister’s location. After the welfare check, the deputy informed Travis that Ms. Shannon was unharmed and leaving the residence.
As the deputy drove off, the lawsuit alleges that Mr. Shannon opened Davis’ door and began to physically assault him, eventually pulling him out of the truck and into the driveway. Davis’ wife called authorities again to request the deputy return. When he did, it appeared to him that both were in an altercation.
“After speaking with all parties, Deputy Thomas spoke with his supervisor, Dillon Pigue, also a white male,” the lawsuit says.
At that point, the deputy took Davis into custody and charged him with first degree criminal trespass. No one else was cited or arrested.
Source: POINSETT LAWSUIT
In the incident report obtained via records request to the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Thomas confirms he was dispatched for a welfare check. The report notes that he was dispatched to the wrong address and that he was informed by Davis that the subject of the call was at the address next door, at Mr. Shannon’s mother’s house. The deputy confirmed Ms. Shannon was okay.
When the deputy left, he was called back in regards to an altercation between Travis Davis and Dustin Shannon. As he arrived, both parties had a hold of each other, he wrote, with the two holding each other by their clothing. The deputy said he detained both parties as he began to investigate.
Both parties said they had felt threatened by the actions of the other. Mr. Shannon said he felt threatened because when he approached Davis, “by opening the door to his SUV,” Davis had his hand on his pistol in his waistband. Davis said Mr. Shannon began to swing punches at him and strike him. The deputy noted he did not see any markings on Davis, but he did see Mr. Shannon was bleeding from his forehead. However, he said the injury happened because he slipped and fell into the open door of the SUV. Mr. Shannon said he wasn’t struck by Davis but said Davis did grab him by his throat. No markings were visible on his throat.
Mr. Shannon told the deputy he has told Davis not to come onto his property many times, because he was not welcomed. Acting on this statement, the deputy contacted Sgt. Dillon Pigue. Law enforcement made the determination that Davis was on the property uninvited and that he was told he was not welcomed on the property. As a result, Davis was arrested and transported to the Poinsett County Detention Center for criminal trespassing.
Source: Incident Report_Redacted
The lawsuit calls this an illegal arrest and false imprisonment, also alleging cruel and unusual punishment and blatant denial of the plaintiff’s equal protection under the law. The lawsuit also alleges that the deputies conspired to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate the plaintiff, “specifically for reasons of his color or race.” The complaint states that at the time of his arrest, the officers did not treat the other persons in the same situation equally. The lawsuit notes that Davis’ wife and Mr. Shannon, both of whom are white, weren’t arrested.
The plaintiff says he has lost jobs, opportunities, endured hardship in his marriage and other family relationships due to this, in addition to suffering emotional distress and humiliation. He is seeking damages in excess of $250,000.
Thus far, the defendants have not filed a response but are expected to soon. NEA Report reached out to the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office to request a statement about the litigation.
The Poinsett Sheriff’s Office is committed to professionalism and the highest standards of conduct, but cannot comment specifically on any pending litigation.
– Statement from the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office
Davis did not respond to a request for comment.
NEA Report will update this story when a response is filed and as it continues through the courts.
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