Deltona woman who claims inappropriate touching by deputy threatens to sue
Deltona woman who claims inappropriate touching by deputy threatens to sue
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a notice of intent to sue Monday from a Deltona woman who accused a deputy of unwanted touching.
DELTONA, Fla. - The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a notice of intent to sue Monday from a Deltona woman who accused a deputy of unwanted touching.
"I went into the bathroom and used it to wipe my [expletive]," said Sheriff Mike Chitwood about his reaction to receiving the paperwork.
It stems from an incident outside a Deltona City Council meeting back in April.
Resident Tammy Stuck’s knee brace set off a metal detector, prompting the deputy to do a pat-down of her knee. Stuck said she "experienced an unwanted and illegal touching."
The notice claims Stuck is experiencing mental anguish and said the sheriff "posted disparaging remarks" about her and her husband on social media which was viewed by many people.
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"Too bad. Too bad. Don’t climb in the ring and accuse people of a crime that never occurred and then turn around and say ‘I didn’t like what he said about me,’" said Sheriff Chitwood.
After Stuck filed a citizen’s complaint, the sheriff jumped to his deputy’s defense, saying surveillance video proves his deputy was just doing his job, even asking for Stuck to be charged with filing a false report.
Here’s what he had to say about a potential lawsuit.
"This lawsuit is going nowhere. And I’m not an attorney, this is baseless, there’s no merit, this is just a waste of time," he said.
The woman’s attorney talked to FOX35 off camera. She said her client feels "intimidated" and "shamed" into silence. She argues she doesn’t think the video clears the deputy of wrongdoing.
As for what’s next, the notice gives the sheriff’s office 180 days to respond before a lawsuit can be filed.
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