Baldwin resident files suit

A lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of a local police department has been filed by a resident of Baldwin who claims the Town of Baldwin and the police department failed to recognize an imminent threat to his well-being.
Ronald J. Valier recently filed a $2.7 million civil lawsuit against the town of Baldwin after years of what he claims was abuse at the hands of another Baldwin resident that ultimately led to Valier being shot, an event he said has forever altered his life.
According to the complaint filed by Valier, the lawsuit stems from his interaction over a period of years with Baldwin resident Robert Hatcherson Jr. According to the complaint, after several violent encounters at the hands of Hatcherson, Valier obtained an arrest warrant on the afternoon of August 28, 2013.
That evening, at approximately 7:15 p.m., Valier was driving down his street when Hatcherson allegedly approached from the opposite direction in another vehicle.
The complaint claims that Hatcherson ordered the driver to stop the vehicle upon which he exited, approached Valier, drew a semi-automatic .380 handgun and began firing at Valier, hitting him four times.
The reason the town of Baldwin is named as the defendant in the case is because Vailer claims the pattern of abuse and the imminent threat of bodily harm was ignored by the town and Baldwin’s police department.
Valier claims the problems with Hatcherson date back to 1992. The complaint states, “During this period of time plaintiff had numerous interactions with Baldwin Police Department where he sought enforcement or other police services from the Baldwin Police Department. Any and all efforts were always rejected by Baldwin Police Department.”
The complaint continues, “In regards to the defendant Town of Baldwin. Furthermore, the defendants were glaringly aware of Robert Hatcherson’s propensity to engage in violent behavior. The facts as related in this claim clearly demonstrates that the plaintiff (sic) acted under the color state law in an arbitrary and deliberately callous indifferent manner and that their affirmative actions contributed in an exceedingly egregious manner in creating the environment and opportunity for plaintiff to become victimized by Robert Hatcherson.”
The “color of law” concept addressed in the complaint refers to a legal doctrine which states it is against the law for one or more persons using power or authority given to him or her by a governmental agency (local, state or federal) to willfully deprive or conspire to deprive another person of any right protected by the laws or Constitution of the United States.
Reached for comment, Valier told the Banner-Tribune he said he felt after so many years of suffering, he had no other recourse but to seek justice through the legal system.
“I did what I thought was absolutely necessary,” Valier said. “I nearly lost my life because of this and I’m going to be permanently impacted by this for the rest of my life. This was necessary to perhaps bring about some changes in the way law enforcement is administrated. I had no other option but to seek redress through the judicial system. This is not some personal vendetta. The only other option was to walk away and let it get swept under the rug. People around here are intimidated. I am not intimidated.”
Multiple attempts by the Banner-Tribune to reach officials with the Town of Baldwin for comment were unsuccessful.