The Florida sheriff who threatened to arrest anyone who showed up at evacuation shelters with outstanding warrants is being sued by a man who says he was denied entry to a shelter unless he underwent a background check, the Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd last Wednesday before Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida tweeted sex offenders would not be allowed at shelters and anyone with a warrant would be escorted "to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail."
The man suing Judd, Andres Borreno of Virginia, says he was discriminated against and Judd's policy violates Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure. Immigrant rights group Nexus Services filed the suit electronically.
"The officer . . . also never told Borreno that he was suspected of any crime or illegal act at that time," states the suit. "Criminal suspicion is not raised by trying to enter an emergency shelter to save one's life and the life of family members."
Judd told the Orlando Sentinel, "They filed that lawsuit for free press, and it's obviously frivolous. I have a nationwide profile, and they see it as an opportunity for nationwide press."