Charles Huntsman was spending the night in jail after getting picked up for driving-under-the-influence on May 6 when he says an Orange County sheriff’s deputy twisted his arm until it fractured and left him without medical treatment for 24 hours.

Cody James Dickerhoof was serving a burglary stint on Sept. 18 when he says a deputy sucker-punched him and shattered his jaw.

Both men have filed claims against the county in recent months, a required step before filing a lawsuit seeking monetary damages for what they say was excessive use of force.

Dickerhoof is seeking $2 million from the county, while Huntsman’s claim asks for $10,000.

“Anything related to a claim or incident like this, you can guarantee that the Sheriff’s Department is going to thoroughly investigate those claims and allegations to find out what happened,” said Lt. Mark Stichter, the spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “We take these very seriously.”

Huntsman’s lawyer, Darrell York, said his client’s episode began while the Newport Beach waiter was awaiting processing following his arrest.

A deputy told Huntsman to go to a different part of the processing area, the attorney said. When Huntsman responded, “Where do I go?” the deputy threw him against a wall, grabbing his arm, and twisting it until it broke, the attorney said.

A nurse thought he was faking the injury, the attorney said, and when Huntsman’s arm swelled, the jail provided him a sling. His client had surgery, the lawyer said.

Dickerhoof, who county records showed was wanted as of Friday on a felony warrant relating to a probation violation, described his interaction with sheriff’s deputies in a March letter to county supervisors, sent while an inmate at Theo Lacy jail.

“During booking at the Santa Ana main jail … I was speaking with a nurse when a deputy sucker-punched me, breaking my jaw in two places,” Dickerhoof wrote. “I was then jumped by numerous deputies. I did nothing to provoke the deputy.”

He named his alleged attacker, but county records show no employee with that name, and sheriff’s officials said no one with that name worked for the agency.

Dickerhoof’s lawyer, Cameron Sehat, said the deputy’s name was based on his client’s recollection and that he would learn more about the alleged assault during the discovery phase of a lawsuit.

“He still has remnants of his injuries,” Sehat said. “His jaw was completely dislocated and fractured. He has a series of medical issues that are linked back to the initial surgery and the trauma he faced.”

Dickerhoof was convicted of burglary felonies in 2011 and 2015, falsely representing himself to an officer in 2015 and 2016, and petty theft in 2015 and 2016.

Huntsman, meanwhile, was convicted for the drunken-driving arrest, and pleaded guilty in 2011 to misdemeanor counts of resisting a police officer and damaging property during a hit and run.

“It is not uncommon for inmates to file claims and complaints against deputies and other correctional staff,” said Tom Dominguez, president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. “It is also not uncommon for these claims to be completely unfounded and baseless and for personal-injury attorneys to take on these types of cases to drum up a pay day at taxpayer expense. …

“All claims alleging improper use of force by any correctional staff are subject to several layers of internal and independent review,” he said. “We trust there will be a thorough review of the facts.”

Contact the writer: jgraham@ocregister.com or 714-796-7960