LIMA Alleging multiple civil rights violations, a former Mercer County farmer has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey.

Jeff Rasawehr, who now lives in an affluent neighborhood northeast of Detroit, has had a long history with the Mercer County Sheriffs Office, and the federal lawsuit is the latest in the public tiff between the two entities. According to his online website, countycoverup.com, Rasawehr alleges that Greys office has unfairly targeted him since 2011 due to a family property disagreement.

In 2011, I was in the beginnings of a very difficult divorce, Rasawehr said in a video published in early 2019. At the same time, there was a family battle over land and trust. My relatives and my ex-wife needed to have me tarnished with a criminal record.

In the same video, Rasawehr said the office had collected 3,800 documents with the intention to arrest him.

According to a 2016 letter sent to one of Rasawehrs six lawyers, Joseph Yamin, by Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Fox, the Mercer County Sheriffs Office began receiving communications from Rasawehr beginning in 2012.

I am aware that the Mercer County Sheriffs Office has tried to respond to Mr. Rasawehr in a professional manner, Foxs letter states. Recently, the Mercer County Sheriffs Office has simply ignored his emails and phone calls, although keeping detailed records, including voice recordings, video recordings and copies of electronic correspondence of every contact Mr. Rasawehr has had with the Mercer County Sheriffs Office. Mr. Rasawehrs stated goal is to provoke the Mercer County Sheriffs Office into an over-reaction situation so he can sue the Mercer County Sheriffs Office.

At the time, Fox requested that Rasawehr cease and desist all contact with my office, my staff and employees.

Later in 2016, Rasawehr was arrested for multiple counts of obstructing official business, stalking and telecommunications harassment.

Three years later after an extensive pre-trial period, Rasawehr had been found guilty of the two of the 26 charges filed against him menacing by stalking and telecommunications harassment and he was sentenced to five years of community control sanctions.

In the federal lawsuit signed off by Rasawehrs six lawyers this past Tuesday, Rasawehr alleges that the 2016 arrest violated his first and fourth amendment rights, and that Greys comments in an article published by The Lima News covering Rasawehrs arrest had a significant chilling effect on the further exercise of free speech of the plaintiff (Rasawehr) that continues unabated to this day.

Of the seven counts filed in the lawsuit, the last two concern Greys oversight of the deputy who arrested Rasawehr.

Due to Rasawehrs alleged suffering caused by Grey and Rasawehrs arrest, the lawsuit estimates that damages are not anticipated to be less than $1 million.

Fox declined comment due to the pending litigation.

The full lawsuit can be read online at limaohio.com.

Rasawehr

Reach Josh Ellerbrock at 567-242-0398.

Excerpt from:

Mercer Co. sheriff sued in federal court - Lima Ohio