We reached out to Sheriff Rand about the newest lawsuit against him and he said this: "I cannot speak on the topic of Lino Johnson’s lawsuit. I have not had a chance to discuss any of the allegations with counsel nor would it be prudent to comment on pending litigation."
For the second time this year the Sheriff of Jackson County is facing a lawsuit involving claims of racial discrimination.
A former deputy filed the lawsuit about a week ago alleging the sheriff's office was an 'incubator for egregious racism and bigotry.'
The suit was filed by former Deputy Lino Johnson who was hired in February 2015.
Johnson's lawsuit claims he may have been the first African-American patrol deputy in the history of the department and Sheriff Rand was a bigot with hostility towards African-Americans. He claims the sheriff used racial slurs on many occasions.
Johnson says he was passed over for promotions, specialized training, and special assignments in favor of white officers.
The lawsuit also claims the county and Sheriff Rand retaliated against Johnson after he complained about the alleged mistreatment.
The former deputy resigned in May 2017.
Lieutenant Tommy Schuette filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff in February of this year, accusing the sheriff of being a multi-faceted bigot who was caught on tape making derogatory comments about women, blacks and the LGBT community.
Commissioners voted to strip Rand of his benefits in May because he's an elected official.
The county previously filed a request asking Governor Rick Snyder to remove Sheriff Rand from office.
The state Attorney General's office has been reviewing that request for five months.
FOX 47 will continue to track this story for you.
