Lawsuit: Alabama DHR

“A former Department of Human Resources case worker who faces criminal charges in a sexual assault investigation has now been named by the alleged victim in a civil lawsuit.

Brandon Howard Daniel, 29, was arrested last August and charged with soliciting for the purpose of influencing official action, indecent exposure, harassment and theft of property. He is out on bond on the charges.

A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of an Alabaster woman names Daniel, along with his supervisor Rasheda Gulley and Kim Mashego, the director of the Shelby County DHR office.

A DHR spokesman said the organization does not comment on pending litigation.

The criminal charges against Daniel stem from complaints made by a female DHR client who contacted police and reported inappropriate sexual contact during a home visit.

According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 12, 2013, Daniel became involved in a Child Protective Services case with the woman’s family. A week later, Daniel showed up at the woman’s home without an appointment and demanded that he be allowed to “inspect the house.” The next day, Aug. 21, Daniel returned and demanded to “inspect the bedroom,” the suit states.

Daniel threatened to remove the woman’s children from her home before demanding “something in return for not taking her kids.” He then forced her to perform sexual acts with him, the woman claims in the lawsuit.

Gulley and Mashego “failed to properly hire, train and supervise” Daniel and “negligently and wantonly” allowed him to violate the law while performing official DHR business.

The woman is seeking punitive damages from each of the three people named in the suit.

Daniel worked as a Birmingham police officer from 2009 until he resigned in March 2013. He had worked at the Shelby County DHR office for just six months before his arrest.

At least a dozen officers carried out a search warrant at the DHR offices in Columbiana on Alabama 70. They spent several hours inside the building, which was temporarily shut down by the search.

Alabaster police chief Curtis Rigney said Mashego cooperated with investigators during the search, but DHR attorneys refused to let detectives inside the building.”

Former DHR case worker forced sex acts ‘in return for not taking her kids,’ woman claims in lawsuit[Alabama 8/21/14 by Kelsey Stein]

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