Former Lynwood Inmate Says Deputies Didn’t Treat Her Scabies, Then Sprayed Her Cell With Insecticide

Valerie Arismendez, center, is flanked by attorneys Daniel Sharpe, left, and Shawn F. Matian at a news conference in Koreatown on Sept. 26, 2019, announcing a suit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.(Credit: Windsor Troy law firm via Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Sep 26, 2019 / 07:08 PM PDT

Updated: Sep 26, 2019 / 07:08 PM PDT

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A former inmate is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging it failed to provide her with medical care for a skin disease and accusing deputies of spraying her cell with insecticide.

Valerie Arismendez, 26, who served time in the Century Regional Detention Facility, says in the lawsuit that deputies were negligent, intentionally caused emotional distress and inflicted cruel and unusual punishment on her.

The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suit, which was filed last month. Arismendez, whose attorneys didn’t disclose what charges the woman previously faced, was in custody between Oct. 29, 2018, and Aug. 10.

Shawn F. Matian, an attorney for Arismendez, said his client was forced to endure “menacing and outright hazardous conduct at the hands of sheriff’s officers.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com.