Longview Rape Victim Arrested in Houston

HOUSTON (AP/STAFF) – We now know it’s a Gregg County woman involved in a controversial Houston rape case and lawsuit. The rape victim, with a history of mental illness, is suing Harris County saying she was wrongly jailed after testifying against her attacker. The Longview News Journal reports she is from Longview. Attorney Sean Buckley says his client has bipolar disorder and had a breakdown in December while testifying. She was committed to a hospital, discharged and then arrested as a material witness because of concern she would not return to the courtroom. A judge had her locked up until the trial resumed, even though she was not charged with a crime.

The woman was held in the general population at the Harris County Jail. That’s the same place where the rape suspect was housed. According to her suit, she was miss classified as the perpetrator of a sexual assault, not as a victim. Buckley says while in jail the woman didn’t consistently get her medication and was charged with assaulting a guard. She was also attacked by an inmate. The charge against her was dropped after she resumed her testimony. Her attacker was later sentenced to life in prison. The Houston Chronicle reports the federal lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for violating her rights, including unlawful arrest.