Jury finds Lincoln County liable, awards women $2.25 million for drug court sexual abuse

ST. LOUIS • A federal jury here awarded a total of $2.25 million to four plaintiffs after deliberating Wednesday on a claim that Lincoln County should have known its drug court "tracker" was sexually abusing program participants.

In 2012, Scott Edwards, of Troy, Mo., was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for violating the constitutional rights of five women in that program. Four of them sued the county.

Edwards resigned from his job in December 2010 after his actions were exposed. Officials said he engaged in sex acts with the woman both on and off duty, sometimes visiting their homes to see if they were following terms of their curfew. He also was accused of checking their bodies for hidden drugs or needle marks.

One issue in the civil case was determining who was Edwards' supervisor.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jury-finds-lincoln-county-liable-awards-women-million-for-drug/article_0105f768-41a6-5257-bcbd-0a50782bc191.html