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Alabama Inmate Sues Over Transport Treatment

An Alabama man was kept in a transportation van for nearly a week without proper sleep or nutrition after being wrongfully arrested for theft, the man claims in court.

(CN) – An Alabama man was kept in a transportation van for nearly a week without proper sleep or nutrition after being wrongfully arrested for theft, the man claims in court.

Brian Svencer, of Elmore County, Ala., filed suit last week in Elmore County Circuit Court against U.S. Prisoner Transport Inc., a Florida corporation specializing in the transportation of prisoners.

The complaint includes claims of negligence, assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the company, along with a claim of malicious prosecution against the Alabama couple that had Svencer arrested.

According to the April 13 complaint, Svencer was traveling for work on May 17, 2016, when he was picked up on an arrest warrant following a traffic stop.

Svencer claims that he was unaware of the warrant, which stemmed from an allegation that he’d taken a washer and dryer that a couple claimed belonged to them. The charges related to the allegation were eventually dismissed, the complaint states.

Following his arrest, Svencer was taken to the local jail in Harris County, Va. There, he was allegedly placed in defendant’s transportation van, along with a number of other inmates.

“The inmates were packed into the van with no room to move between them,” the complaint states. “The number of inmates clearly exceeded a reasonable capacity for the van.”

According to the complaint, Svencer was kept in the crowded van “for nearly one week” without being given the chance to sleep or bathe.

“Plaintiff Brian Svencer found himself starved, deprived of opportunity to use the restroom, dehydrated, sleep deprived, and delirious,” the complaint states.

The complaint further alleges that Svencer wasn’t returned to Elmore County until June 5, after spending another week in a Florida jail.

From the complaint: “Plaintiff Misty Svencer, wife of Plaintiff Brian Svencer, during this time did not know where her husband was, if he was alive, if he was being taken care of or how to contact him.”

According to the complaint, Brian now suffers symptoms of PTSD as a result of the “horrific experience.”

“Plaintiff Brian Svencer was never convicted of a crime yet he was forced to sit for nearly one week in a tightly packed van without any ability to move around or sleep or eat or drink or use the facilities in a reasonable manner,” the complaint states.

The plaintiffs are represented by Montgomery attorney Jamie A. Johnston. They seek compensatory and punitive damages.

A representative of U.S. Prisoner Transport did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Categories / Civil Rights, Criminal, Government, Regional

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