Resident alleges deputies didn’t follow prior eviction procedure, leaving man without transport

Joanne Britner told the Clinton County Legislature on May 13 that she had been unable to reach Sheriff David Favro and brought a written complaint about a May 8 eviction at Lake View Towers. Britner said deputies left a tenant identified as “Ed” on the sidewalk in a wheelchair and that, in her account, no one collected him even though she was told someone would pick him up at 10 a.m.

Britner said a female deputy left the scene at about 9:30 a.m., and that the tenant later rolled to a parking lot where officers gave him a wellness bag. "The adult wellness people arrived with an ambulance and had Ed transported to CVPH about 5 p.m.," she told legislators, and she said hospital staff treated previously broken ankles. She questioned why deputies did not bring the man to the Department of Social Services, saying, "least we forget the 1935 Social Security Act was created because citizens were dying in the street. People still do not like to see humans and animals suffering in the street." Britner provided a copy of her letter to the Legislature, which was attached to the minutes.

The minutes record Britner’s allegations and the letter she submitted but do not record a response from Sheriff Favro or another county official during the session. The Legislature proceeded with committee reports after public comment; the transcript does not show any immediate action or referral taken in response to Britner’s complaint.

Because the account was presented as a resident’s statement to the Legislature, the minutes and transcript record it as an allegation by Britner rather than an established finding. The minutes say Britner attempted to contact Sheriff Favro but was unable to reach him prior to raising the matter at the meeting.