Amish parents sue police

BERGHOLZ, Ohio, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A group of Amish parents have sued the sheriff's department in an Ohio county, claiming their civil rights were violated when officers visited their school.

The lawsuit involves an incident a year ago, WTOV-TV in Steubenville reported. The parents say that Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies went to the school in Bergholz to seize the children of a teacher involved in a custody dispute with her husband.

Sheriff Fred Abdalla denied, in an interview last year, that anyone in his department violated the civil rights of the students, parents or teachers at the school. He said that armed deputies went to the school because threats had been made against the lives of members of the department.

The complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court says that the deputies "violated their right to peaceful enjoyment of their community and posed a danger to the safety and welfare of the plaintiffs."

The parents are seeking a total of $35 million, including $25 million in punitive damages.