Stevenson, Ala., Police Department Chief Daniel WintersA day after Stevenson, Ala., police Chief Daniel Winters was charged in a federal indictment with deprivation of civil rights, the alleged victim in the case filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the chief, two officers, a local funeral home’s owners and employees and the city of Stevenson.
The lawsuit doesn’t state an amount of money being sought but seeks compensatory and punitive damages, prejudgment and postjudgment interest, costs of the action, an amount to compensate for any adverse tax consequences from the suit and any other relief that a jury determines the plaintiff should recover.
Winters was arrested Wednesday on two federal counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law on allegations that he assaulted an arrestee, did nothing to stop another person from using “unreasonable force during arrest” and causing the arrestee bodily injuries, according to court documents.
The indictment did not offer details of the incident, identified the victim only as “D.F.” and did not name his alleged assailants other than the chief. The civil suit, however, describes events from alleged victim David Fulmer’s perspective and names the participants, according to lawsuit documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Northeastern Division.
The suit names as defendants the city, Winters, Stevenson police officers Darren McCaimey and Hester Hollis, Valley Funeral Home owner Bobby Hicks and his employees Luke Ballard and David Grider.