By C1 Staff
NEWTON, NJ – An attorney is suing the Sussex County Sheriff’s office after she says she was sexually harassed by a correctional officer when he placed a metal detector wand between her legs and up her skirt.
NJ.com reports that Bonita Bourke claims the search procedure left her feeling horrified and humiliated and went against proper search procedure as indicated by the wand’s user manual.
The incident occurred on Aug. 20 when she was entering the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility and set off the metal detector. When the officer began lifting up her skirt, Bourke objected but was told that she would be “wanded” in that manner or not enter the facility.
She was then told to spread her legs while the officer pushed the wand up between her knees and under her skirt with upward wrist movements.
Bourke initially filed her claim in October, but then filed an amended complaint in January when she felt the sheriff’s office was retaliating against her.
On two separate occasions, officers refused to allow her to speak with her clients privately, she claims; she also accuses them of bullying and intimidation.
The attorney representing the county, John Gonzo, said all allegations have been denied and that there is video tape proving that the officer did not place a wand between Bourke’s legs or raise her skirt.
He says that the officers “at all times followed proper procedures.”