A federal lawsuit alleges that an individual in custody at a local detention center was sexually abused by a corrections officer who also failed to follow required supervision protocols. The complaint was filed by Linda Evangelista on March 11, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Austin Cole Sluder, a former deputy sheriff and corrections officer, and Tim Pounds, the then-sheriff of Douglas County.
According to the court filing, Evangelista claims her constitutional rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated during her incarceration at the Douglas County Detention Center. The complaint outlines allegations that Sluder unlawfully coerced her into posing for nude photographs while she was an inmate on July 24-25, 2021. It further alleges that Sheriff Pounds failed to adequately supervise or train staff to protect inmates from known risks of serious harm.
The document details Sluder’s employment history with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), noting that he applied for a position on January 25, 2021. During his application process, Sluder reportedly provided false information about his previous employment at Cold Stone Creamery by stating he moved to Florida when he had actually been terminated following a larceny incident. Despite this discrepancy being uncovered during a background check conducted by Sergeant Samantha Arnold, Sluder was hired as a Deputy Sheriff Recruit in May 2021.
The complaint describes events on the night of July 24-25, 2021, when Sluder allegedly visited Evangelista’s cell multiple times for extended periods—behavior described as inconsistent with standard interactions with other inmates. It is alleged that Sluder turned off his body camera before entering her cell and used his personal cell phone inside the facility in violation of DCSO policy. According to Evangelista’s account within the filing, she was coerced into removing her top and exposing herself while Sluder photographed her using his phone. The complaint asserts that because she was incarcerated at the time, she could not legally consent to these actions.
After Evangelista reported these events in September 2021, an internal investigation by DCSO’s Office of Professional Standards (OPS) reviewed surveillance footage supporting her claims. Investigators interviewed Sluder; initially he denied having his phone but later admitted it after being shown video evidence. He claimed he used it only to reference Bible verses for Evangelista but denied taking any photographs or requesting nudity.
Despite being under investigation for these allegations, Sluder was promoted from Deputy Sheriff Recruit to Deputy in late September 2021. Shortly thereafter, he underwent a polygraph examination regarding Evangelista’s complaint; investigators noted what they believed were repeated attempts by Sluder to use countermeasures during questioning. As a result, his polygraph was labeled as “Willful Non Compliance.”
On October 18, 2021 OPS concluded its investigation with a finding of “SUSTAINED,” determining that Sluder had violated DCSO policies regarding contraband (cell phones) and body camera usage. Major Duane Whisenhunt met with Sluder on October 20 and informed him of his termination based on these violations as well as deceptive conduct during the polygraph exam.
The lawsuit also references another incident involving sexual abuse committed by Sluder against a different inmate on September 17-18, 2021 while supervising areas including the medical floor where Ms. Dabney Bridges worked as a trustee. According to the filing’s account of Bridges’ report: “Defendant Sluder accosted Ms. Bridges with sexually suggestive comments,” entered the women’s bathroom where he kissed her without consent before moving their encounter to a mop closet where further sexual assault occurred—including forced oral sex—all without activating his body camera.
Evangelista’s legal arguments assert that both defendants failed in their duties: directly through acts of abuse (Sluder) and indirectly through inadequate supervision and enforcement of established policies (Pounds). The complaint cites multiple sections from DCSO’s Policy & Procedure Manual requiring activation of body cameras during inmate interactions and prohibiting contraband such as personal cell phones within secure areas.
The suit contends that there existed longstanding customs at DCSO—including inadequate enforcement of body camera rules and insufficient supervision—amounting to deliberate indifference toward inmates’ constitutional rights. It argues these customs enabled repeated violations leading directly to Evangelista’s injuries.
Evangelista seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress and humiliation resulting from these events as well as punitive damages intended “to punish these Defendants and deter Defendants and others from similar misconduct in the future.” She also requests attorney fees and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Attorneys Andrew Lampros (Georgia Bar #432328) and Joseph Quattlebaum (Georgia Bar #319971) from Hall & Lampros LLP represent Linda Evangelista in this case (Civil Action File No.: 1:26-cv-01358-TRJ).
Source: 126cv01358_Linda_Evangelista_v_Austin_Cole_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Georiga.pdf
