MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court against a Monongalia County Deputy, alleges supervisors from multiple agencies were aware of his ten-year history of misconduct.
The lawsuit was filed against Deputy Lance Kuretza, 38, who is also facing a federal indictment for alleged use of excessive force and attempting to cover it up.
The lawsuit filed in January 2020 also names six other unidentified deputies, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, and Monongalia County Commission as defendants.
It claims that from 2008 to 2018 supervisors “tolerated, ignored and otherwise failed to remediate Deputy Lance Kuretza’s conduct while employed by police departments in Granville, Star City, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.” The lawsuit alleges that Freedom of Information Act requests filed to gain the evidence were blocked most recently by officials in Monongalia County.
According to the lawsuit, on January 20, 2018, Deputy Kuretza and six other deputies responded to a disturbance at the Residence Inn. The investigation did not result in any arrests, but hotel management asked the guests involved in disturbance to be escorted from the property.
As the group exited the floor, Deputy Kuretza ordered one of the guests who was being ejected, to open the door to the room where the plaintiff was staying. In the room, Kuretza found the man asleep and began to shake him and hit his feet to wake him up. The plaintiff explained he was sleeping and not involved in the earlier disturbance. Kuretza allegedly threw him off the bed and beat him and eventually restrained the man with the assistance of the other deputies.
The lawsuit states the plaintiff suffered severe head and facial injuries while being held against his will during what was described as a “warrantless arrest.”
The plaintiff was charged with obstructing an officer and battery on a police officer. The Monongalia County Prosecutor eventually dropped those charges.
The lawsuit alleges the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department did not provide adequate training, supervision or discipline to the deputies. Attorneys are seeking unspecified damages for medical and legal fees, humiliation, and civil rights violations.
Kuretza will be arraigned on August 25, for the federal indictment that was released last week. He is currently free on bail.