Rutledge Works On Lawsuit Against County

Roosevelt County inmate Richard Rutledge has filed a lawsuit against the Roosevelt County Detention Center and a detention officer.

In the document, Rutledge claims that he has been denied prescriptions and medical assistance. He also claims that a detention officer has sexually assaulted and targeted him. The charging document was filed in October 2020.

In the document, Rutledge requests that the detention officer is terminated and that the detention center complies with all state and federal guidelines.

On April 6, 2022, Rutledge’s motion for discovery was denied as being moot.

Rutledge also filed a motion requesting that counsel be appointed to represent him. The court denied the request because no one, including incarcerated prisoners, has a constitutional right to be represented by appointed counsel when they choose to bring a civil lawsuit.

Defendants in the case have denied all allegations.

Rutledge is facing the charges of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of incest. He has been in the county jail awaiting trial for about three years.

The trial was moved to the week of July 18 during a scheduling hearing on Jan. 25.

When asked by District Judge David J. Cybulski, Rutledge said he approved of the delay.

“You realize that it’s dragging on, that it’s nearly making the record books,” Cybulski said of the trial postponements. “I also don’t want to push it if you don’t feel it’s fair to you.”