A female inmate at the Sonoma County jail who alleges she and other women are being housed unfairly filed a claim for damages Thursday that could run into the millions of dollars.
Charr Treadway, 42, who is halfway through a four-year sentence on theft and drug-related charges, is seeking $5,000 a day, retroactive to the first day of her incarceration.
Treadway maintains her civil rights are being violated because the sheriff does not allow women to be held in the minimum security north county detention facility. It was closed to women in 2010 because of budget cuts.
Instead, she's serving her time in the main jail, where she said a more dangerous population requires limits on family visits and forces her to spend up to 23 hours a day in her cell.
Her lawyer, Walter Risse, filed a one-page claim with the Board of Supervisors that names Sheriff Steve Freitas and Assistant Sheriff Randall Walker, who oversees the jail. Risse said the claim could lead to a lawsuit if Treadway isn't released from custody or moved.
Risse said he wants to enforce a 1984 court order requiring the county to build and maintain a women's honor farm.
Walker denied Treadway was being treated unfairly. He said the jail's housing of women has been inspected by the state and complies with requirements.
"Our goal is to meet the state standards, which we clearly do," Walker said. "The court will have to determine the rest."
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