The Price of a Night in Jail
A 67-year-old gardener sues Seattle police for $7,000, alleging he was assaulted and permanently injured during an unlawful arrest.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Gregory Laprell brought suit yesterday against Policeman D. R. Noble and another officer whose true name is unknown to the plaintiff, to recover damages for alleged false imprisonment and for personal injuries inflicted by the defendants in arresting him. The complaint filed in the case sets out that on August 8, Laprell was arrested without cause by the defendants, who assaulted him and threw him into a cell with such force that he fell violently to the floor and was ruptured. A charge of drunkenness was placed against him and he was imprisoned for eighteen hours. For this he asks $2,000 damages. The complaint sets out that Laprell is 67 years of age and quite infirm, so that his rough usage has rendered him incapable of following his calling as a gardener and earning a living. As a recompense for this he asks $5,000, and an additional $1,000 for the mental anguish which he suffered. He further asks for $25, which amount he was paid out for medical attention.
“Laprell is 67 years of age and quite infirm, so that his rough usage has rendered him incapable of following his calling as a gardener and earning a living.”
This case highlights the long-standing friction between the Seattle police department and the public regarding accountability for use of force. While the dollar figures have changed, the fundamental issue—a vulnerable citizen alleging mistreatment and seeking legal redress for life-altering injury at the hands of the state—remains a central theme in local civic discourse.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.