Arrests. Reporting live Stephen Tschida abc 7 news. Alison he spent just a few hours in jail. But the arrest of a Third Year University of virginia student is now shining a light on the way the states alcohol laws are enforced. Suzanne kennedy takes a closer look at the alcohol and Beverage Control police and their power. Why is this happening . Suzanne wednesday nights arrest of the u. V. A. Student Martese Johnson is raising questions about the policing powers of regulatory agencies like virginias department of alcohol, Beverage Control. The agency has 130 sworn officers who receive the same training as police. These officers have statewide arrest powers and can arrest anyone for breaking any virginia law. Not just alcohol violations. Abc suzanne in the case of 20yearold johnson, agents thought the underaged student was trying to use a fake i. D. To get into a bar on st. Patricks day. Students on the u. V. A. Campus feel agents were overreaching in the way that johnson was treated. I
Zemedagegehu also said the jail failed provide a communications device to help him communicate with his lawyer and performed medical procedures on him without explaining them or getting his consent.
A native of Ethiopia, he can communicate in American Sign Language but is largely unable to communicate in written English.
Zemedagegehu sued the sheriff s office in federal court, saying his treatment failed to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Among the concerns raised in his lawsuit was the jail s reliance on teletypewriter devices to allow deaf inmates to communicate with people outside the jail. The sheriff s office has defended its use of the TTY machine, but Zemedagegehu s lawsuit said the device is useless for someone who can t read English and obsolete because videophones are now used predominantly in the deaf community.