Carter County police officials and county named in lawsuit

Carter County Sheriff Mike Fraley, several deputies, and the county itself, have had a lawsuit filed against them and a jury trial has been requested, according to federal court documents. The alleged incident happened last September at Old Horseshoe Freewill Baptist Church in Elizabethton. Church leaders claim deputies showed up armed and in uniform, without a warrant, and threatened to force a vote to oust the pastor and a deacon, and members felt pressured to leave the church. The lawsuit accuses the sheriff’s department of freezing the church’s bank accounts and surveilling the property, violating their constitutional rights. The pastor and deacon are seeking $3 million in damages, alleging violations of religious freedom, unlawful search and seizure, and civil conspiracy.