MADISON, Wisc. (CN) - Two National Guardsmen home from multiple tours in Iraq say Wisconsin Dells policemen forced them to lick urine off the sidewalk and eat urine-soaked dirt and vegetation after falsely accusing them of public urination on Memorial Day weekend.
Anthony Anderson and Robert Schiman demand punitive damages from the City of Wisconsin Dells, its Police Chief Bret Anderson and police Officers Wayne Thomas, Collin Jacobson and Scott Albrecht.
The guardsmen claim that Officers Thomas and Jacobson "made the plaintiffs consume the alleged liquid to prove that it was not their urine out of threat of receiving a citation or a criminal charge."
They claim Thomas and Jacobson made Schiman "eat a plant that was drenched in the liquid" and made Anderson "lick the ground and scrape the mud up with hands, and rub it on my tongue and then open my mouth to prove it."
Then, the federal complaint states, the cops made Anderson do it again, saying, "Nope, do it again. I couldn't see it. That's not good enough. ... Do you want a ticket?"
After releasing them without issuing them a citation, the guardsmen say, "Officer Collin Jacobson approached Officer Scott Albrecht and stated, 'I can't stop laughing; Wayne just made those two guys lick their own piss off the ground.'"
The guardsmen say they asked Officer Albrecht for the name of their commander, and that in Albrecht's presence, Thomas and Jacobson "threatened the plaintiffs with charges of burglary if they filed a complaint."
The guardsmen say they filed a complaint against all three officers anyway, and that Thomas was fired, Jacobson was given two weeks unpaid suspension and Albrecht was cited for failing to follow procedure.
The plaintiffs demands punitive damages for civil rights violations, negligence, false imprisonment, and emotional distress. They are represented by Jason Baltz of Whitefish Bay.
Read the Top 8
Sign up for the Top 8, a roundup of the day's top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Additional Reads
-
Six Officers Say Fellow Cop Betrayed Them November 16, 2015