The man charged in the death of Elijah Vue is claiming he’s being mistreated in the Manitowoc County Jail.
WBAY reports that 40-year-old Jesse Vang filed a handwritten federal lawsuit against the jail, accusing staff of singling him out and punishing him more harshly than other inmates.
The suit claims that the staff have targeted him for what he called minor rule violations, like having extra clothing or not wearing his uniform exactly as required.
Vang says other inmates who do the same thing don’t get punished.
Staff deny the accusations but say Vang used profanity, disobeyed orders, and repeatedly waived disciplinary hearings.
The lawsuit hasn’t been officially served to the Manitowoc County Jail yet. Vang’s case is scheduled to be brought up again in civil court in January.
Vang is facing charges of physical assault of a child, causing death, after Elijah’s remains were found in the Town of Two Rivers in September last year.
A criminal complaint alleges that the toddler’s mother, 32-year-old Katrina Baur, allowed Vang to “discipline” Vue for his “bad behavior.”
That included the threat of cold showers and allegedly making Vue stand for hours at a time, praying in a corner.
