A federal lawsuit filed last week alleges a female investigator at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office was demoted and threatened to be terminated after she filed a complaint regarding sexual misconduct from a chief deputy.

The lawsuit names Leslie Ramsey, a Limestone County Sheriff’s Investigator as the plaintiff. Limestone County and the Limestone County Commission are named as defendants. Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely and Chief Deputy Fred Sloss are named as defendants in both their official and individual capacities.

The lawsuit alleges Chief Deputy Fred Sloss “swiped his hand several times between Plaintiff’s legs, across her chest and crotch and along the outside of her clothes,” while she and her boyfriend at the time were visiting Sloss at his home on Jan. 14, 2017.

Attorneys for the plaintiff are seeking for punitive damages for Blakely and Sloss and for a preliminary and permanent injunction and declaratory relief against Limestone County, the commission and Blakely, “finding that they discriminated against Plaintiff, and prohibit them from discriminating against Plaintiff based on her gender.”

Sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Young sent AL.com statement regarding the lawsuit Tuesday night, saying “Sheriff Blakely, Chief Sloss and the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office have always been proactive in their commitment to treating everyone, including our employees, with equal respect and dignity in every way possible. While we are unable to provide a detailed response at this time on advice of counsel, we want to assure the people of Limestone County that our commitment to equality and providing the best workplace environment possible for everyone remains steadfast.”

Collin Daly, Chairman of the Limestone County Commission also sent a statement to AL.com Monday.

“The pending lawsuit is being reviewed by legal counsel at this time for an appropriate response,” he said in an email.

The lawsuit claims the incident happened when Sloss followed Ramsey outside the home to smoke a cigarette.

“I’ll make you Captain. Show me your tit[s], [my wife] would do it,” she claims Sloss said to her before offering to promote Ramsey to Captain if she complied with his sexual advances, according to the lawsuit. She denied his advances.

Her boyfriend at the time met with Blakely on May 24, 2017, to discuss the incident at Sloss’ home. The lawsuit claims the two discussed the incident for “at least 40 minutes.”

The same day, Ramsey submitted a grievance to the sheriff regarding the January incident. The next day, the lawsuit claims her supervisor, Capt. Lance Royals, responded to her grievance in writing, saying “Blakely was entitled to threaten [Ramsey] with termination and that revocation of her vehicle privileges was justified,” the lawsuit reads.

On May 26, 2017, she was demoted from investigator to patrol duty and ordered to vacate her office. She was assigned to second shift patrol. A few days later she was demoted to third shift patrol.

Ramsey was reinstated to her investigator position after she filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in November 2017, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit further claims other male officers were not reprimanded for similar offenses and others, with less experience than her, were promoted.

The lawsuit claims Ramsey’s Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when she was demoted and reprimanded after reporting a sexual assault from a superior and when the sheriff’s office failed to properly investigate Sloss’s misconduct.

Attorneys for the plaintiff are asking for damages for attorney’s fees, lost wages, benefits, overtime, off-duty compensation, mental anguish, humiliation, loss of reputation and further relief as the court seems just.

They are also asking to be compensated for damages related to the alleged assault on Ramsey, claiming she suffered intense emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety and concern. The lawsuit claimed Sloss’s alleged behavior violated state assault and invasion of privacy laws.

The sheriff’s office will hold a press briefing Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the sheriff’s office in Athens.

Updated at 9:50 p.m. to provide details about a planned press briefing.

Read the full lawsuit below: