Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-arwd-3_06-cv-03067/USCOURTS-arwd-3_06-cv-03067-10/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

WESTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS

HARRISON DIVISION

JAMES P. VICK PLAINTIFF

v. Civil No. 06-3067

C.E. "CHUCK" MEDFORD;

LT. BETH REELY;

SGT. ROB McGEE;

OFFICER MARK LOTT;

OFFICER MICHAEL BROWN;

OFFICER DEBBIE DAVIS;

OFFICER DAVE HENDERSON;

OFFICER DISHEROON;

DEPUTY JOHN RAINS;

DEPUTY GRET NOFSTGER;

PORTIA STINES (formerly known

as Portia Hill);

LISA ADAMS;

DEBBIE PRICE; et al. DEFENDANTS

O R D E R

Now on this 8th day of January, 2008, comes on for

consideration the Report And Recommendation Of The Magistrate

Judge (document #116), and the Court, having carefully reviewed

said Report And Recommendation, and the objections thereto, finds

and orders as follows:

1. The Report And Recommendation addresses the Motion For

Judgment On The Pleadings filed by separate defendant Officer

Disheroon. The Magistrate Judge reports that plaintiff's

complaint against Disheroon is only "that Disheroon specifically

threatened to beat him. Plaintiff does not indicate anything

occurred beyond the mere words of Disheroon's threat." Because

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verbal threats are ordinarily not actionable under §1983, the

Magistrate Judge recommended that plaintiff's claim against

Disheroon in his individual capacity be dismissed. The Magistrate

Judge also recommended that plaintiff's claim against Disheroon in

his official capacity be dismissed, as there is nothing in the

Complaint or any amendment thereto which implicates a policy of

the Carroll County Sheriff's Office which is likely to result in

a deprivation of constitutional rights.

2. Plaintiff objects to the Magistrate Judge's report that

there was no death threat, stating that "Disheroon threatened the

Plaintiff with actual death!" He goes on to say that given

Disheroon's "violent history" and the agitation of other officers,

he took the threat "in its most sincere meaning." To this,

Disheroon responds that plaintiff "alleges a verbal threat that he

would be 'beat,' nothing more," and that plaintiff's objections

are an attempt to "contradict his prior allegations."

3. The Court has reviewed the various pleadings filed by

plaintiff, and finds that he did, in fact, allege that Disheroon

and another defendant, Deputy John Rains, threatened to "beat him

to death" in his Amended Complaint filed on February 8, 2007. The

incident allegedly occurred after plaintiff had escaped from the

Carroll County jail, then returned on his own to the jail.

Plaintiff alleged that Disheroon, a Berryville police officer, was

frequently called to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office "to

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provide a show of force, and was indeed a very physically large

muscular officer" whom he had witnessed physically abuse other

prisoners. He further alleged that another deputy "interceded" in

the matter, which he believes prevented Disheroon and Rains from

carrying out the alleged threat.

4. The allegations here fall somewhere between those of

Martin v. Sargent, 780 F.2d 1334 (8th Cir. 1985)(threat involving

loss of privileges not actionable under §1983) and Burton v.

Livingston, 791 F.2d 97 (8th Cir. 1986)(death threat by guard

holding pistol and using racial epithets, in retaliation for

exercise of protected rights, is actionable). Given that the

alleged motivation of Disheroon was not plaintiff's exercise of a

protected right, but rather plaintiff's escape from jail, the

Court finds that this case is more like Martin than Burton, and

that plaintiff's pleadings fail to state an actionable claim

against Disheroon in his individual capacity.

There are no further objections to the Report And

Recommendation, and the Court finds that it is sound in all

respects, and should be adopted in toto.

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Report And Recommendation Of

The Magistrate Judge is adopted in toto.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that plaintiff's objections to the

Report And Recommendation are without merit, and are overruled.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, for the reasons stated in the

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Report And Recommendation Of The Magistrate Judge, separate

defendant Officer Disheroon's Motion For Judgment On The Pleadings

(document #48) is granted, and plaintiff's claims against

Disheroon are dismissed.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

 /s/ Jimm Larry Hendren 

JIMM LARRY HENDREN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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