Alleging discrimination, fired bailiff sues Stone County, sheriff Doug Rader

A former bailiff has filed a lawsuit alleging Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader repeatedly attempted to convince him not to run for sheriff in an adjacent county — and fired him when he did.

Warren Hagar, who made an unsuccessful bid for Christian County sheriff, recently filed the federal lawsuit against Rader and Stone County, his former employer, alleging that his civil rights were violated.

In the suit, filed in early April, Hagar said he was hired by the Stone County Sheriff's Office on Valentine's Day 2014 and assigned to work as a bailiff for a Stone County Associate Judge.

Hagar said as time passed, he started telling some Stone County employees that he planned to run against Brad Cole, the sheriff of Christian County, in the August 2016 primary.

He alleged in the suit that, over a three-month period in early 2016, Rader met with him seven times to express opposition to Hagar running for sheriff in Christian County and to try to convince him to remove his name from consideration.

Hagar said Rader fired him in mid-April 2016 because he refused to pull out of the race.

The suit alleges Hagar was wrongfully terminated, his First Amendment rights were violated, he suffered "public humiliation and embarrassment," and he lost income, employment and the "ability to effectively campaign for public office."

He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from Rader and Stone County as well as court and attorney fees. He is also seeking punitive damages from Rader.

According to online court records, an outside mediator has been assigned to the case. Rader and Stone County have not filed responses.

In the August 2016 primary, Cole received nearly 86 percent of the votes and Hagar — who spent less than $500 on his campaign — received 1,976 votes or a little over 14 percent.

Rader has not returned a call for comment. Brandon Potter, the attorney representing Hagar, said he is not yet ready to comment.

Hagar previously filed a suit against former Christian County Sheriff Joey Kyle and Christian County, where he worked earlier. He alleged wrongful termination in that case, as well.

In the Christian County suit, Hagar said he had been interested in running for sheriff in 2012 and having the sheriff's office audited. Hagar said he was fired a day after the 2012 election and not given a reason why.

According to online court records, a settlement was reached and the case was dismissed.