FOLLOW-UP: Former Aiken County councilman says he was wrongfully detained

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FOLLOW-UP: Former Aiken County councilman says he was wrongfully detained

By Ashley Campbell acampbell@nbcaugusta.com

Story Published: Jul 6, 2009 at 5:30 PM EST

Story Updated: Jul 6, 2009 at 5:30 PM EST

AIKEN, S.C. - A former Aiken County Councilman is suing Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt.

Former Aiken County councilman, William "Russ" Ferrara says he was falsely arrested and wrongfully detained.

In an 80-page document, Ferrara claims the sheriff's office made numerous, false reckless and malicious charges lacking probable cause against him.

Ferrara says he was kept in unhealthy conditions while in the Aiken County jail in 2006.

He also states for two and a half years he was placed on house arrest and 24/7 electronic GPS monitoring, at his own expense.

In addition, Ferrara was not able to work to support his family. All this, he says, without proper evidence against him.

In 2005, Ferrara was accused of fondling a 13-year-old girl.

A year later, he was charged with improperly touching a woman and offering her free rent in exchange for sex.

Ferrara was cleared of all charges.

26 News called William Ferrara several times and left messages. Calls were not returned as of news time.

26 News also tried to contact Sheriff Hunt. We were told he does not comment on pending lawsuits.

 


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Monday, Jul 6 at 6:10 PM Money wrote ...

He wants money!!

25505936 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Jul 6 at 6:23 PM Money wrote ...

What did he expect the Four Seasons.

25506464 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Jul 6 at 7:30 PM Jim wrote ...

Money- How long have you worked for Sheriff Hurt ?

25509424 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Jul 6 at 7:42 PM Jim wrote ...

Money- Do You Know What Probable cause Is ? If Not Look It Up. And Call Your Boss And Tell Him.

25509941 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Jul 6 at 8:06 PM Money wrote ...

His name is HUNT not hurt

25510891 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Jul 6 at 9:06 PM Jim wrote ...

money- Ok How Long Have You Worked For(HUNT)?

25513224 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Tuesday, Jul 7 at 9:33 AM House Arrest wrote ...

It's hard to believe that they put him on house arrest for this long and then just dropped all the charges. It seems like they could have determined that the alleged victim was not credible before they arrested him. We think that most law suits, if not all, involve and/or demand compensation for damages.

25534786 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Tuesday, Jul 7 at 11:03 AM Alleged Victim wrote ...

We know about this case. The alleged victim was being evicted after refusing to pay her rent. Also her live-in boyfriend, Chad Black, was a registered sex offender who received a 12 year sentence for breaking into one of the councilman's apartments (burglary), and she had many encounters with the sheriff's office to include a CDV conviction.

25540871 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Tuesday, Jul 7 at 6:19 PM WSP wrote ...

One question: How did he end up alone with a 13 year old?

25569921 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Tuesday, Jul 7 at 7:33 PM Numerous Lawsuits wrote ...

It seems like alot of people are suing the Aiken Sheriff. What's going on with the other law suits against him?

25573236 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Wednesday, Jul 8 at 6:54 AM Money wrote ...

20M!!! Sounds like money to me.

25592744 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Wednesday, Jul 8 at 4:25 PM Johnny wrote ...

Hope he gets every penny he's asking for in the civil suit. It's not right to put a man's life and his family's on hold for so long and then just drop all the charges.

25643546 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Wednesday, Jul 8 at 7:44 PM Money wrote ...

Maybe Mr. Ferrara will share the 20M with the tax payers of Aiken County. Yea, right!

25656344 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Thursday, Jul 9 at 7:22 AM Money wrote ...

This 80 page civil suit, 2009CP0201529, is available in the Aiken County Clerk of Court's Office. We are surprised that Brenda Brisbin, prosecutor, and Chuck Cain, lead investigator, believed anything that the alleged victim, Kari Driggers, told them about this case given her previous CDV conviction, bipolar disorder and numerous run-ins with law enforcement in Aiken County.

25684252 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Thursday, Jul 9 at 1:12 PM Concerned Citizen wrote ...

Why isn't this information on the Aiken Sheriff's website news releases?

25714054 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Tuesday, Jul 14 at 8:41 AM House Arrest & GPS Monitoring wrote ...

It's not right that they kept him on house arrest and GPS monitoring for 27 months at a personal cost of $500 per month and then just dropped all the charges. That's $13,500. It seems like the state should at reimbuse him for these expenses. That's nothing but legal thuggery.

26028259 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Wednesday, Jul 22 at 7:06 AM shakedown for money wrote ...

Looks like this was nothing more than a shakedown for money with law enforcement being used as a tool for extortion. now it's turning into a big pubic spectacle with no clear winner or looser.

26543197 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Friday, Jul 31 at 8:23 PM Sheriff Silent Very Unusual wrote ...

It concerns us that our sheriff is unwilling to talk to the media when he get sued. If he and his officers are doing their job, they should have nothing to hide and should be open to the media, public, taxpayers and voters in Aiken County.

27142802 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Aug 3 at 7:18 AM More Bogus Charges wrote ...

The sheriff's office also tried to charge him with burglary of his own trailer in 2005, but Judge Carter refused to sign their bogus warrant. Since the judge wouldn't go alone with their program he was later charged by SLED and removed from the bench as a magistrate.

27221292 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Thursday, Aug 6 at 9:15 PM Cain Corrupt wrote ...

This is not the first time Sheriff's Deputy Chuck Cain has been sued for not properly performing his job. He's costing Aiken County taxpayers thousands of dollars defending the law suits because he still doesn't know how to do his job and nor what his duty is to the public. One time he was sued after a women lost her life.

27410701 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Aug 10 at 9:30 PM ABHAN Charge wrote ...

Chuck Cain arrested him for assault and battery high and aggravated (ABHAN) when all that was alleged was an unlawful touching sometime during a 3 month period of time (no marks, cuts, bruises, etc.) and no witnesses. This was an overcharge and nothing more than a false arrest and an attempt by Investigator Chuck Cain to make a name for himself.

27567809 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Monday, Aug 10 at 9:31 PM Civil Cases wrote ...

Compensation for all civil cases when the plaintiff prevails is money.

27567858 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Sunday, Sep 13 at 8:42 AM Case Followup wrote ...

The sheriff has made this into a federal case as his lawyer transferred it to federal court in August. Now he has fired his lawyer, Vinton D. Lide.

29089982 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Thursday, Oct 1 at 1:34 PM Former Officer wrote ...

This is what we call a payback hearsay warrant. Law enforcement issues them because they can to run someone out of town or for payback. After someone and their family are put through hell they just drop the unfounded charges and hope the person will just go away so they can do it again to someone else in the community.

29976986 Inappropriate? Alert Us!

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