Lawsuit over jail laundry tossed out in Cole County

A federal court for the state of Missouri has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed against the Cole County Sheriff’s Department.

Cole County Sheriff Greg White and Captain John Wheeler were also named in the suit.

The lawsuit alleged that the department was violating the U.S. Constitution relating to conditions within the jail.

It read, “[the department] has an unlawful practice of limiting detainees to a single set of clothing and undergarments, and requiring detainees and inmates to be naked during the laundering of that clothing or remain in dirty clothing.”

On Thursday, the judge said the plaintiffs failed to state a claim under the 8th and 14th Amendments or any provisions of the Missouri Constitution, giving no weight to their argument.

ABC 17 News spoke with the attorney representing Cole County, Michael Berry, Thursday.

Berry said it was evident that a law wasn’t broken in the first place.