Montana man files class-action lawsuit for wrongful arrest

A Montana man has filed suit against the City of Ronan, Montana, seeking approval as a class action suit.  According to reports about the lawsuit, the lead plaintiff, Anthony Chaney, was at a bar when his brother, a U.S. military combat veteran, began experiencing a PTSD episode.  To help his brother work through the episode, Chaney took his brother to a nearby park and tried to calm him down; however, apparently, someone called the police department and reported a fight in the park.

When City of Ronan police officers responded to the call,  Chaney attempted to explain the situation to the officers.  However, the officers did not listen, placed Mr. Chaney’s brother in handcuffs and forced Mr. Chaney to the ground, before placing him in handcuffs as well.  The officers told Mr. Chaney he was under arrest. The officers then called police officers from a nearby Native American reservation, where Mr. Chaney was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kooteni Tribes (“CSKT”).  When the CSKT officers arrived, they released Mr. Chaney from the handcuffs, and Mr. Chaney was not charged or criminally prosecuted.

According to reports on the situation, Mr. Chaney’s suit alleges that the City of Ronan is liable to him and other potential class members for violations of their Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, because the officer who forced him to the ground, Trevor Wadsworth, was not eligible to serve as a peace officer in the state of Montana.  According to reports, Montana, like many other states, requires that, in order to serve as a peace officer, trainees receive certification from the Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council (“POST”).  The suit alleges that Officer Wadsworth attempted to complete the POST training in 2010 but was forced to leave training after he was unable to produce a “hire slip” proving he was a sworn officer and an employee of the Ronan Police Department.  POST also allegedly sent a letter to the mayor of Ronan, in May 2011, advising that Wadsworth was not eligible to serve as a peace officer.  Nonetheless, the City of Ronan allegedly continued to employ Wadsworth and several other police officers who were not POST certified.

See more about Mr. Chaney’s suit at: the Billings Gazette, the Missoulian, and NBC Montana.