Environmental activist Chad Kister filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly — and several other entities — for a violation of his First and Fourth Amendment rights.
The lawsuit, which is the latest in a line of Kister’s clashes with law enforcement, stems from an April 10, 2010, incident. Kister said Kelly arrested him without “good reason” and took him to Appalachian Behavior Healthcare, where he said he was detained for 23 days against his will.
Included on the list of defendants are Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling Services; Jeff Benseler and Chris Henry from O’Bleness Memorial Hospital; and Anthony Derrico and Jane Krason from Appalachian Behavior Healthcare, according to documents filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
He is seeking upward of $150,000 and will represent himself in court.
When asked Wednesday, Kelly said he was unaware of the lawsuit against him.
During the summer, Kister was arrested and charged with aggravated menacing after allegedly threatening Kelly’s life via phone calls to the police station and a Nelsonville radio station — but Kister denied the comments he made were threatening in nature.
An aggravated menacing charge against Kister from June was dismissed, according to Athens County Municipal Court documents.
“My stance is not that Chad needs to go to jail; my stance is that Chad has issues and he needs some serious guidance,” Kelly said.
This is not the first time Kister has filed a lawsuit against public officials.
In 1999, Kister filed a lawsuit against then-Athens County Sheriff David Redecker after one of his deputies, Bill McMillian, allegedly punched him in the face in 1997, according to documents filed with the Athens County Common Pleas Court.
He wanted $25,000 in compensation and punitive damages, but the parties involved settled the case outside of court for $15,000, according to County Risk Sharing Authority documents.
Kister plans to file another lawsuit against Kelly for wrongful arrest, retaliatory prosecution, and violations of civil liberties under color of law stemming from a July 29 incident.
ld311710@ohiou.edu
