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A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office inmate has filed a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, as the inmate claims he was deprived of water for about 13 hours one day.
Terell Gray wants that to never happen again, but he’s also seeking $20,000 from the Sheriff’s Office because his cellmate took a big, smelly dump while the water was shut off.
Gray, who’s locked up on allegations of drug offenses, criminal trespassing, and burglary, says the water was shut off to several cells in the Lower Buckeye Jail so guards could conduct a search around 5 a.m. on September 28.
During this, Gray says he asked a guard for water at least seven times, and was denied. The search of his area of the jail didn’t happen until around 3:30 p.m., but the water didn’t go back on until about 6:15 p.m., his lawsuit claims.
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Gray described his injuries as dehydration, as well as having to “intake the smell of my cellmate’s feces for 10-13 hours.”
For his alleged injuries, Gray is seeking that the Sheriff’s Office no longer deprive inmates of what during searches. If needed, Gray adds, guards could at least make drinking water available.
Then there’s the reason Gray wants $20,000.
“And for the humiliation during the 10-13 [hours] of dehydration and torture, with the smell of my cellmate[‘s] fieces [sic], I would like a monatary [sic] sum of $20,000,” he writes.
The case has been referred to a magistrate judge.
