Webster County’s immediate past sheriff repeatedly freed a woman’s abusive husband from jail on weekends, and the man tried to run her over, beat her unconscious and then drenched her body with sulfuric acid, the woman alleges in a lawsuit.
Felicia Ann Robinson of Eupora suffered multiple second- and third-degree burns in last year’s acid attack, and her medical care has cost nearly $900,000, she said in a federal lawsuit.
The suit, which presents only one side of a legal argument, was filed June 17 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, Aberdeen Division. The allegations in the civil action are the same as those made in a tort claims notice her attorney filed earlier, which the Progress-Times reported in detail on March 20.
Named as defendants are Webster County, the Webster County Sheriff’s Department, then-sheriff Tim Mitchell, then-jailer/dispatcher Santana Townsend, Daren “Pap”” Patterson, who is identified as Robinson’s husband, and “John Does 1-30.” Robinson accuses Mitchell, Webster County and Townsend of negligence.
Robinson says Mitchell never should have allowed Patterson to be freed on weekends to terrorize her. Patterson ultimately poured “Liquid Fire” drain cleaner on her, burning her face, neck, chest, arms and leg, her lawyer wrote in the lawsuit.
Violence and emotional abuse were chronic in Robinson’s marriage to Patterson, the lawsuit states.
“Throughout their turbulent relationship, she has vacillated from wanting his approval to wanting to be free from his oppressive behavior to being afraid for her very life — often experiencing these emotions at the same time,” the lawsuit states.
“Occasionally, Mrs. Robinson would stand up for herself,” it said. “Often, though, she would assume the position of his punching bag.”
Patterson had been on probation for a cocaine charge, and ended up in the county jail after being accused of assaulting a Eupora police officer.
The then-sheriff, Mitchell, later designated Patterson a “trusty” at the county jail, which gave him special privileges. He allowed Patterson to be released on weekends even after Robinson told police that her husband tried to run her over with the car the first time he was freed for the weekend, the lawsuit alleges. The Eupora Police Department investigated that event, wrote a report about it “and informed Sheriff Mitchell accordingly,” the lawsuit states.
‘Unbridled Fury’
Two months later, Patterson was granted another free weekend (for his 34th birthday) on Nov. 2-3.
“During this unsupervised weekend pass, Patterson returned to Mrs. Robinson, who felt even more helpless than before,” the lawsuit states. Local law officers who knew of Patterson’s past violence toward her “were the very ones who had just set Patterson free. She felt trapped.”
That weekend, Patterson threw a beer at his 45-year-old wife and punched her in the face. He threatened to burn down her house and punched a hole in the wall of the home, the lawsuit claims.
Robinson then called a dispatcher (Townsend) for help. But instead of sending a deputy to the home, Townsend gave the phone to another inmate to speak to Patterson, according to the suit.
After speaking with the inmate, Patterson “seethed with unbridled fury,” threw Robinson on the bathroom floor and punched her repeatedly until she blacked out, the lawsuit states. Then, her lawyer wrote in the lawsuit, he poured the acid-containing drain cleaner over her nearly naked body.
Robinson is seeking $30 million in compensatory damages plus punitive damages. However, the liability limits for such claims in Mississippi is $500,000 per single occurrence.
New Indictments
Against Patterson
Patterson’s post-release supervision on the cocaine charge was revoked Nov. 20 because of the officer assault charge and he was sentenced to serve the remaining four years of that eight-year sentence from 2014.
A Webster County grand jury indicted him as a habitual offender on Dec. 11 on charges of simple assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of cocaine. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on March 25 and those charges are still pending.
He was again indicted as a habitual offender on May 21. That two-count indictment charges him with aggravated assault upon Robinson and kidnapping her, both on Nov. 2. He pleaded not guilty at his June 12 arraignment and Circuit Judge Joseph Loper Jr. set his bond at $50,000. His next court date was set for today (Wednesday).
Patterson is now incarcerated at the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility in Houston, where he was transferred from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl.
Mitchell, in an unrelated case, pleaded guilty June 12 to two counts of embezzlement (of four firearms) by a public official and two counts of trafficking in stolen firearms. A judge ordered him to resign immediately and will sentence him July 30.
Townsend is under indictment on unrelated charges of sexual activity between jailer and inmate (two counts), furnishing contraband to an inmate and sale, possession of use of a controlled substance in a jail facility. Her Circuit Court case has been continued until January.
Chancery Clerk Russ Turner informed the Board of Supervisors on Friday that the county was served with a copy of the complaint the day before. He said it had been forwarded to the county’s insurance carrier and board attorney Buchanan Meek Jr., who the supervisors had already hired as counsel in the litigation. Robinson is represented by attorney Matt Wilson of Starkville. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock and referred to Magistrate Judge David Sanders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
