STAR CITY, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - A year as a cop in an Arkansas city included sexual harassment in the form of bringing a police chief a soda every morning to make his mistress jealous, a new lawsuit claims.
Sheree Lindsey sued the City of Gould, its mayor Matthew Smith and its police chief Kenneth Tillman on May 17 in Lincoln County Circuit Court. She is alleging wrongful termination, sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims.
She started working as a Gould police officer in February 2020.
"Chief Tillman would demand Plaintiff bring him a soda in the morning, in an effort to make his mistress jealous," the lawsuit said. "The same resulted in said mistress making threats to Plaintiff (even severe threats of 'killing' her)."
Lindsey also says Tillman asked about her sexual history. She says she complained to Mayor Smith but nothing was done, leaving her to file a sexual harassment complaint in October. At a November meeting, Smith angrily shouted he would fire both Lindsey and Tillman if they couldn't get along, the lawsuit says.
In January, Lindsey was told to either turn in her equipment or be demoted, she said. Eleven days later, Tillman allegedly told her she was going to jail for impersonating an officer while she says she was on duty.
"Chief then requested deputies to the scene where he accused Plaintiff of stealing a patrol unit," the suit says. "Upon Plaintiff conversing with a deputy, via cell phone, said deputy advised her that Chief had requested all deputies to the scene."