A Haines man found guilty of three charges stemming from a July 2012 fight with three Haines Borough police officers has filed a civil suit against several borough officials, police officers, and state attorneys.
Randy Jackson, 54, filed the suit claiming false arrest, false imprisonment, illegal search, conspiracy and malicious prosecution in state superior court in September.
He is seeking $2.5 million in damages for the alleged abuses because of “physical injury, loss of income, and severe mental anguish in connection with the deprivation of his constitutional and statutory rights.”
A jury found Jackson guilty of fourth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in August 2013. According to officers who testified at trial, Jackson made obscene gestures, tried to head-butt an officer and kicked another officer in the groin during an encounter at a downtown bar.
In his 21-page complaint, Jackson claims a myriad of offenses during the incident and trial, including officer abuse of force and power, false and inconsistent testimonies under oath during trial and deprivation of his right to due process.
Jackson named nine defendants in the case: officer Jason Rettinger, officer Adam Patterson, former Sgt. Simon Ford, former officer Joshua Knore, former police chief Gary Lowe, former manager Mark Earnest, former executive assistant to the manager Darsie Culbeck, assistant district attorney Amy Williams and district attorney James Scott.
Jackson contends in the complaint that supervisors and managers like Lowe and Earnest failed to control their employees and “had power to prevent or aid in preventing the commission of said wrongs, could have done so by reasonable diligence, and knowingly, recklessly, or with gross negligence failed or refused to do so.”
The case has been ping-ponging between superior court and federal district court and last week was reopened in superior court.
Jackson is representing himself in the case. Attorney Laura Eakes of the Anchorage law firm Walker & Eakes is representing the defendants.
Jackson is also appealing his 2013 conviction.