HENRY COUNTY, Ind. — A man identified as a victim of sexual abuse is taking dozens of Henry County officials to court.
Today, an attorney for Sam Shipley filed a civil lawsuit in the US District Court for Southern Indiana for unspecified damages.
The basis of the lawsuit stems from a FOX59/CBS4 investigation.
In May 2023, FOX59/CBS4 reported a state police probe of Henry County Community Corrections had been hidden from public view.
State Police identified four men who all claimed they were coerced into sex acts by Jason Bertram, who was the deputy director of Henry County Community Corrections (HCCC). The men were sent to HCCC for monitoring as an alternative to incarceration.
Police allege Bertram used his authority to send the men to jail to lure them into sex acts, some of which were photographed by Bertram. Shipley was one of the four men identified in a report.
After learning of his pending arrest, Bertram committed suicide. Because there was no arrest or arraignment, the police report was never placed in the publicly available statewide electronic court record system.
“Maybe Mr. Bertram wasn’t available to prosecute but that doesn’t excuse looking into how this could have gone on when people were clearly complaining about it,” said Jon Little, Shipley’s attorney.
Little noted that while other documents may surface during the court case, he started with information and papers unearthed by FOX59, "The work (your station) put in on this a year and a half ago is really all I got."
The lawsuit lists as defendants HCCC executive director Joni Williams, Sheriff John Sproles, Chase Hightower, and some 50 “Unknown Henry County Officials."
FOX59/CBS4 reached out to Williams for comment, but at the time this story was posted there was no reply.