By Ray King
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. has asked County Judge Gerald Robinson to set up meetings to discuss claims submitted by Woods that have so far been denied.
Woods cited a ruling by Special Circuit Judge Gary Arnold that settled a lawsuit filed by Woods against Robinson and the Jefferson County Quorum Court in 2022 that said Woods and Robinson, or their designees, meet to settle the claims.
In a letter dated Jan. 3, Woods said “the continued denial of claims through the present day has resulted in numerous operational deficiencies, including loss of revenue, damaged credit worthiness by major vendors, and violation of rights by detainees. As exemplified in at least three cases in the 8th Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States the inability to provide postage to indigent detainees has been found to be a violation of their constitutional rights.
Woods asked Robinson to provide a list of available dates and times for a meeting and suggested using the Simmons Conference Room in the sheriff’s office building for the meeting (s).
Also included in the communication was a list of claims Woods said were denied in 2022 that totaled $91,944.52 and a list of claims denied in 2023 that totaled $97,249.34.
