Andy Lee, sheriff of Benton County, Arkansas, was sued by Ross Chadwell, a prisoner who served as a trusty, performing various chores in the Siloam Springs jail where he was held. As a trusty, Chadwell had been granted increased freedom in carrying out his tasks. Chadwell, who escaped one day and was captured two months later, is suing Lee for failure to know he was going to escape and take steps to prevent it. According to his complaint, by failing to do so the sheriff "violated this plaintiff's civil rights when he permitted this plaintiff to escape." Says Lee, "His reason for suing me is that I should have had the knowledge that he was an escape risk... I don't remember him bringing it to anyone's attention."

Lee has not yet lost any of the 27 suits brought against him by prisoners so far, but it bothers him that each costs the taxpayers $2,000 in court expenses. At one time he was sued for failure to properly check a prisoner for body and crab lice. The sheriff said, "If we could put a U.S. patent office inside of jail [the prisoners] would all come out millionaires... They are the most creative individuals in the world."

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