LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 48-year-old prison inmate has sued Lancaster County and several jail officials for $250,000, alleging that he was served pork against the dictates of his religion.
In his lawsuit, Dario Scott described himself as a strict advocate of Islam who follows the dietary restrictions that bar Muslims from eating pork.
Scott said that during March, while awaiting trial on drug charges, he was assured by a guard sergeant that pork was not served in the Lancaster County jail.
When he later became acquainted with jail kitchen workers, Scott learned that several items on the menu contained pork, according to the lawsuit. Scott said he obtained a food label from the kitchen that clearly shows pork among its ingredients.
Corrections director Mike Thurber did not immediately return a call Monday.
Scott said that after filing a complaint, he was told that the only two cases of a product containing pork had been ordered by the kitchen and that the kitchen manager had since "pulled them."
Scott said he was sickened by the pork and that he had to seek psychological therapy after he discovered he had been misled about the food.
He said jail officials violated his constitutional rights to practice his religion and that they should be held liable for his mental anguish as well.
Scott has since been sentenced to three to five years in a Nebraska prison. In July he pleaded guilty to cocaine distribution.
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