Sheriff’s office denies allegations in ongoing civil rights case

During an August 2023 traffic stop, Portage County Sheriff’s Office deputies mistook carpet cleaner in the back of a Buick for cocaine and arrested two men in the vehicle. Photo by the Portage County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff’s office denies allegations in ongoing civil rights case

- Wendy DiAlesandro

The Portage County Sheriff’s Office broadly rejected the allegations included in a civil rights lawsuit against the agency brought by two men jailed on false drug charges in 2023, according to new court filings.

The office denies its deputies knowingly submitted false reports or that they were not properly trained in how to use narcotic identification kits. They also denied the complaint’s assertion that the sheriff’s office was motivated by a desire to glorify its special crimes unit.

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