(Ventura County Star) In a response filed Wednesday to a federal lawsuit, the County of Ventura said a local Muslim woman’s head-covering was “gently and respectfully” removed for security reasons while she was in jail custody and denied her allegations it was stripped from her.
Attorneys for the county filed the 13-page document in U.S. District Court as part of its defense in the federal civil rights lawsuit brought forth by Newbury Park resident Jennifer Hyatt. The litigation stems from a Jan. 1, 2017, incident at Ventura County jail in which deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office allegedly violated her constitutional rights by prohibiting her from wearing a head covering.
Hyatt was being booked into the facility on suspicion of domestic violence at the time of the alleged ordeal.
