LUFKIN – An East Texas county is the target of a federal civil rights lawsuit from a 19-year-old mentally challenged male who claims he was physically and sexually assaulted while in custody more than a year ago.
Lufkin federal court records show that Kyle Ray brought the suit against the County of Houston on Oct. 9, asserting its jailers failed to take his disability into account when he was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor on Jan. 17, 2017.
Ray, who suffers from “severe” attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette’s syndrome, “was forced to sit in general population with violent offenders and convicts” despite his parents’ request that the county place him in segregation, the 25-page complaint says.
According to the original petition, neither Ray nor his parents, who are in law enforcement themselves, could not afford the $20,000 bond.
“The defendant’s conduct caused Kyle Ray to be raped and beaten,” the suit says.
Consequently, the complainant seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
He is represented by R.W. “Ricky” Richards and Jill Campbell Penn of the law firm Richards Penn, L.L.P. in Jacksonville, Tex.
Lufkin Division of the Eastern District of Texas Case No. 9:18-CV-0182