(MLive) Kent County sheriff’s leaders dispute a Muslim woman’s claim that jail staff violated her religious rights by forcing her to remove a hijab, a traditional Islamic head scarf.
They also say video and audio evidence exists to back up their claim.
The sheriff’s department released a statement Thursday, June 8, about the incident following an MLive query.
On May 30, the 22-year-old Muslim woman filed notice of a claim against Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young and the Sheriff’s Department. She claimed she was forcibly stripped of her hijab.
In court documents, she claimed the incident happened in front of members of the opposite sex, including male officers, in a manner that violates her clearly established sincerely held religious belief.
