RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Lawyers for an autistic and intellectually disabled man claim in a federal lawsuit that he was treated inhumanely during nearly three years in Virginia jails and prisons.
According to the complaint, Reginald Latson was held in solitary confinement for months at a time, shocked with a stun gun and strapped for hours in a restraint chair after acting out because of his disabilities. His lawyers say Latson needed and deserved treatment, not punishment.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe gave Latson a conditional pardon in 2015 so he could be moved to a Florida treatment center, but the complaint says irreparable damage was already done. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Michael Kelly, a spokesman for state Attorney General Mark Herring, said the office does not comment on pending litigation.
