A lawsuit alleges excessive force by Meigs County deputies during an arrest
By: Thomas Billington
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – A Meigs County woman recently filed a lawsuit accusing Meigs County sheriff’s deputies of using excessive force during a traffic stop.
According to the lawsuit, the incident happened the night of May 19, 2025, when Robertson spotted a car being driven without headlights. The car was owned and operated by Josie Coe, a lifelong Meigs County resident.
The deputy began following Coe, who turned onto another road and began accelerating, according to the lawsuit, which cited Robertson’s report of the incident. After about three-quarters of a mile, Coe pulled off the road and stopped.
Deputy Smith arrived on scene about the same time Coe stopped, according to the lawsuit.
The deputies wrote in their reports that Coe failed to comply with their orders and instead punched Smith in the arm and reached for his gun. Coe denies this and claims the body camera footage does not support the deputies’ reports.
At some point, Smith was on top of Coe trying to handcuff her. The deputy deployed a taser at least twice in the lower back, the lawsuit alleges. At this point, she already had both her hands behind her back and had been restrained, the lawsuit alleges.
Robertson wrote that he tased Coe to gain control of her arms. Robertson did not mention that he was already on top of Coe when he used the taser, which is shown in the body cam footage, according to the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Smith struck Coe twice in the head. Smith wrote he did this because she had reached for his holster, according to the lawsuit. Coe denies this.
According to the lawsuit, the deputies repeatedly muted their body cameras to talk privately with each other about how to handle Coe.
Meigs County Emergency Medical Services were called to the scene and reported that Coe had facial trauma to the left eye, eye orbit and bone just below her left eye, according to the lawsuit. Swelling and bruising were also noted, and her nose and mouth were bleeding. Due to the severity of the injuries, Coe was transported by air to Cabell Huntington Hospital, according to the lawsuit.
Four days later, Robertson charged Coe with felonious assault of a police officer. The charges were dismissed on Nov. 14. Other misdemeanor charges filed against Coe were also dropped.
The lawsuit alleges the deputies violated Coe’s Fourth Amendment rights, which protects individuals from unreasonable seizures by law enforcement. The suit also accuses the defendants of unlawful prosecution, arguing the officers pursued criminal charges against Coe without probable cause.
WOUB reached out to Sheriff Fitch and the Meigs County commissioners for comment, but did not receive a response at the time this story was published. Coe’s lawyer had no comment when reached.