HOUSTON—A former Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constable who was twice found not guilty of sexually assaulting juvenile inmates has filed a lawsuit against Harris County.
Michael Serges was fired after he was charged in the alleged assaults. He claims he was slandered by false accusations, and that his civil rights were violated. Even though juries twice found him "not guilty," Harris County has declined Serges' application to get his job back.
"So we think that he needs to be compensated for the way he’s been treated," said Serges’ attorney, Andre Ligon. "He definitely wants his job back."
Serges was indicted in March of 2008 for aggravated sexual assault of a child. He was then fired without pay from Precinct 4. The allegations came from a woman who claimed Serges sexually assaulted her eight years earlier when she was an inmate at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center. Serges served as a detention officer there from 1996 to 2001.
Serges initially stood trial in September of 2008, and a jury found him not guilty.
In January of 2009, he was put on trial again after another woman claimed Serges sexually assaulted her when she was a juvenile inmate in 1999.
Again, he was found not guilty.
Prosecutors stated at the time they had five different women making allegations against Serges, but only took two of the cases to trial. Serges maintains all of the allegations are false.
"This whole ordeal has been to nightmare for me," Serges said. "It’s been a nightmare. Ongoing nightmare."
A Precinct 4 spokesman said they could not comment on the lawsuit or publicly provide the answer Michael Serges is seeking. In filing his lawsuit earlier this month, Serges believes that answer may come only in court.
"And still to this day I have no animosity toward Precinct 4. That’s the best agency I’ve ever worked for. I just don’t understand why I’m not working for them now," he said.
Serges is currently employed as a security guard with a private company.
