Deputy lawsuit settlement information shared

By Gary Scott on July 21, 2016 at 10:57am

New documents are being shared with our radio station that shed more light on settlements reached in federal lawsuits filed against deputies in the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.

Three men, Douglas Raney, Michael Shackleford and Tim Hagen, filed what the settlement describes as “civil rights and state law action” against the sheriff’s department, and specifically Deputies Derek Suttles and Joshua Weber, in U.S. District Court in Springfield in September 2015.

A similar suit was filed this past February by Calvin Kisselbach, specifically against Suttles.

Both suits stemmed from actions alleged to have been taken by the deputies in separate traffic stops on Interstate 72 and U.S. Route 67.

The document, obtained this week by WLDS-WEAI News in a Freedom of Information Act request, says the parties in these manners “have determined that it is in their best individual and mutual best interests to settle and compromise” the claims that were made, with no “admission of fault, liability or wrongdoing on behalf of the” sheriff’s department.

Hagen, Shackleford and Raney agreed to settle for a sum of $18,000. Kisselbach agreed to a settlement worth $6,000. Attorney costs were also paid.

The money comes from the Illinois Program Managers Group, which covers the county for liability insurance.

Morgan County Sheriff Randy Duvendack, along with the Morgan County Commissioners, declined to comment on tape about this matter.