Sexual harassment suit filed against jail

Published 10:18 am Monday, February 3, 2020

A former deputy jailer has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Clark County Detention Center, saying she was terminated and then slandered after the fact.

Ashley Wise of Lawrenceburg filed the case against Jailer Frank Doyle, Chief Deputy Justin Crockett, the Clark County Detention Center and Clark County in Clark Circuit Court earlier this week.

In the suit, Wise said she was harassed by her supervisors at the jail beginning in January 2016. Six months later, Wise said she complained to Crockett about the situation, but nothing changed.

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Wise said she was fired by her supervisor on Sept. 13, 2016, but spoke with Doyle on her way out and was told she was not fired.

Wise said she met with Doyle and another administrator the following day about her concerns and problems, and was told Doyle would take care of the issues and for Wise to return to work Sept. 19, 2016.

Wise said nothing had changed when she returned. The county attorney, she said, said he would investigate her complaints, but could not prosecute when no one would corroborate her story.

Wise said her employment was terminated Oct. 3, 2016, though it was backdated to Sept. 28.

Following her termination, Wise said Crockett sought and obtained compromising photos of Wise, kept them in a safe in his office and would show them to others, according to the suit.

A message left for Doyle Friday was not returned by press time.

In 2016, Doyle declined to comment on a letter from Wise and her attorney about her termination. Doyle said at the time Wise’s employment was terminated because of an unrelated issue.

Wise said she reported the incident to the Winchester Police Department after a supervisor allegedly pointed a Taser in her face.

A letter from Brian Thomas, the county attorney at the time, said her complaint and incident report were reviewed, but two of the three witnesses could not corroborate her allegations. Thomas said his office would not prosecute the case.

Wise is seeking damages for sexual harassment, retaliation, defamation and invasion of privacy, among others.

About Fred Petke

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

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