South Indiana County Reaches Deal in Sexual Harassment Suit

A southern Indiana county has agreed to pay $375,000 to two female police dispatchers who said they were sexually harassed by the county sheriff.

Harrison County Sheriff George Michael Deatrick denied any wrongdoing in the consent decree reached in the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department.

Former dispatchers Melissa Graham and Deana Decker filed sexual discrimination complaints last year. They said the sheriff made sexually derogatory remarks, and Decker accused him of touching her breasts numerous times.

The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge. It also requires the county to conduct annual training to prevent sexual discrimination and have an outside monitor evaluate the sheriff’s prevention practices.