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UP county sued; jail barred man from wearing artificial leg

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI (AP)--   A man says his rights were violated when an Upper Peninsula jail refused to allow him to wear his artificial leg during a three-day stay.

Ralf Keller of Sault Ste. Marie has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Chippewa County commissioners and the sheriff's department. He says he was being held in jail in 2016 for a non-violent matter.

Keller says his rights were violated under federal disability law. The lawsuit describes him as a "small, frail, non-violent man" whose prosthetic left leg posed no risk to other people in jail.

In a court filing last week, attorneys for Chippewa County say the jail had "legitimate reasons" to take Keller's leg. No other details were disclosed.
The lawsuit seeks a cash award of more than $75,000.

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