Mentally ill inmate sues over beating : Hearing taking place in FF

Feb. 12--A former Beltrami County jail inmate who is suing the county in U.S. District Court for allegedly violating his civil rights had his first pretrial conference Wednesday afternoon in Fergus Falls in what likely will be a lengthy legal process.

Theran Stai, 47, who suffers from mental illnesses, was allegedly beaten by fellow inmates in the Beltrami County jail in 2013 and then furloughed so the county wouldn't have to pay medical expenses. The lawsuit is against Beltrami County as a whole, as well as individual county staff, including jail administrators and Sheriff Phil Hodapp.

Stai was allegedly assaulted by other inmates, however, there is no video surveillance of the area where he sustained his injuries, and no jail staff witnessed an incident, authorities said.

After being furloughed, Stai was flown to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment of his injury.

The lawsuit alleges Beltrami County did not arrange housing accommodations or transportation back to Bemidji for Stai, so he walked about 188 miles to Walker and slept in empty cargo trailers and shelters he made out of cardboard, grass and leaves. The complaint continues that Stai suffered additional injuries while walking to Walker where he stayed for about two days before receiving a ride to Cass Lake. From there he walked to Bemidji and lived in a tent for a month.

Stai arrived at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center emergency room on Oct. 13, 2013. His furlough recommendation was to report back to the jail on Oct. 14. Beltrami County deputies picked him up on Oct. 20 and he was sent to a behavioral health hospital on Oct. 23.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages arising out of what it claims was the failure of the defendants to provide appropriate medical and mental health care and treatment during and following Stai's incarceration from June 29 to Sept. 10, 2013.

Stai has incurred more than $44,000 in medical bills as a result of a broken jaw, the complaint says. Stai is seeking punitive damages in the amount of $1 million.

During the pretrial conference Wednesday, the attorneys discussed scheduling issues, deciding to push back disclosure, discovery and deposition dates to the fall of 2015. A schedule will be released later next week, Judge Leo Brisbois said.

Stai's attorney, William Lubov, of Golden Valley-based Lubov & Associates, did not rule out the possibility of other defendants being named.

Lubov said they have listed all the defendants as far as they know, but added they would need to see what happens in the discovery process.

Stephanie Angolka, of the Iverson Reuvers Condon firm representing the defendants, said her side had no plans to introduce any third-party defendants.

Each side agreed to a limit of five expert witnesses each.

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