Woman Sues Jail Guard for Assault

A local woman who says she was assaulted by two Travis County correctional has filed a lawsuit. The incident in question was caught on camera.

Shay Morrow says it was her cell phone that brought on violence after she was taken to jail on suspicion of DWI in December of 2008.

"When the cell phone rang, the officer grabbed me," Morrow tells us.

This video from inside the Travis County jail downtown shows what happens next. One of the guards shoves Morrow into the wall and then slams her to the ground.

Then Morrow's attorney Scott Medlock says, "While she's on the ground, slams the back of her head and slams her head into the ground."

"It was very painful, and very terrifying," says Morrow.

The 35-year-old was taken to the hospital for a deep cut on her chin.

"That I had to get stitches for and I had blood coming out of my ear," she adds.

Morrow has filed a lawsuit against the two female correctional officers and the Texas Civil Rights Project has taken on her case.

"Hopefully this lawsuit will have the effect of getting the sheriff to look more seriously at what's happening at the jail," says TCRP Director Jim Harrington.

Morrow's attorneys say one of the guards has a history of violent behavior.

"While she's lying there on the ground, the supervisor for the officer comes up to her and says we've talked about this before and the guard responds, 'I guess I don't know my own strength, I've been working out,'" says Medlock.

Morrow calls herself a private person, but she has a reason for sharing her story:

"My main concern was that I didn't want it to happen to someone else, I don’t think it should happen to anybody."

The Travis County Sheriff's Office has responded by saying a formal complaint was not made to their internal affairs office so no investigation was conducted. Now that the office is aware of the allegations, the sheriff has ordered and investigation.