Worthington, Minnesota — The City of Worthington, Minnesota and its police department have settled with a Sheldon man who says he was mistreated in their custody. The City and Police Department will reportedly give the man nearly $600,000.
The ACLU of Minnesota sued the City of Worthington and Worthington Police Department on the Sheldon man’s behalf.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota, they sued them over an alleged assault by police that put the victim in intensive care for five days, requiring multiple surgeries.
The complaint alleged that police used excessive force against Kelvin Francisco Rodriguez, who according to published reports, lives in Sheldon and works for the JBS pork processing plant in Worthington.
The ACLU alleges that the assault broke four of Rodriguez’s ribs and lacerated his pancreas and liver. They say that Rodriguez, bleeding internally, repeatedly asked for medical assistance, and his requests were ignored. The suit says that when medical assistance was finally allowed, Rodriguez’s injuries proved so severe, he had to be airlifted to Sanford Medical in Sioux Falls, S.D. They say he incurred medical expenses close to $150,000.
Published reports indicate the settlement is for $590,000, but does not include any admission of wrongdoing by the City, the Police Department, or its officers.
The ACLU tells us that this is the second time they have sued Worthington for excessive force. Police had repeatedly punched and kneed a young man who was still seat-belted into his car. The city and Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force agreed to reform their use of force in that settlement.
