BETHEL (AP) -- A second lawsuit has been filed in federal court against officials who investigated child abuse allegations involving five staff members at a Christian school for troubled children.

The lawsuit accuses juvenile officer Michael Waddle and Lewis County Sheriff David Parrish of violating the civil rights of Heartland Christian Academy student Joshua Eads, 17. Eads alleges he was seized and held for 12 days without suspicion or probable cause.

The suit, filed July 20 on behalf of Eads by Heartland dairy farm supervisor Jon Simmons, also names Lewis County as a plaintiff. It seeks unspecified damages.

''My theory on all these lawsuits is it's an attempt to intimidate local law enforcement,'' Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney Jules DeCoster said.

Eads said he was held by authorities from June 29 to July 10.

Eads said he was arrested by Waddle and Parrish on suspicion that he might have been involved in an incident in which 11 Heartland students were forced to stand in a manure pit at the facility's dairy farm as punishment. Five staffers were charged with child abuse.
[...]

A lawsuit was filed by Heartland last month in federal court in St. Louis accused Lewis County officials and Waddle of harassment in connection with the manure pit investigation.

Heartland's founder and senior pastor, millionaire insurance executive Charles N. Sharpe, has pledged to use ''every dime'' of his fortune ''and every drop of blood in my body'' to fight the allegations.
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