Kendall County sheriff sued for allegedly beating man during active shooter training
Published: Tue, 03/28/23
Kendall County sheriff sued for allegedly beating the shit out of man during active shooter training
The plaintiff, a San Antonio nurse practitioner, said he suffered a torn right shoulder that required several surgeries.
Al Auxier, Kendall County Sheriff
San Antonio Current
By Michael Karlis
Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 4:25 pm
A San Antonio man has sued Kendall County Sheriff Al Auxier, alleging that the lawman's deputies beat him so badly during an active-shooter simulation that he suffered a torn right shoulder that required several surgeries.
Mathew Dietz, a nurse practitioner, volunteered to participate in a training drill hosted by the Kendall County Sheriff's Office on March 12, 2021, according to the suit, filed March 10 in Kendall County District Court. The simulation veered out of control when the deputies roughed him up, the petition states.
Auxier was unavailable for immediate comment Monday.
Kendall County is located about 30 miles northwest of San Antonio.
In his complaint, Dietz maintains he was "excessively manhandled, grabbed and thrown about" by deputies. He also said he was hurled against the ground, walls and other nearby objects, which resulted not just in the shoulder injury but a broken nose.
Dietz is seeking up to $250,000 in damages from Auxier to cover medical costs and lost income due to his alleged injuries at the hands of Kendall deputies.
Dietz's lawsuit against the sheriff was on the agenda during the Kendall County Commissioners' regularly scheduled meeting Monday. However, commissioners discussed the matter during an executive session, meaning the public wasn't allowed inside the meeting room.
Dietz's lawsuit against Auxier isn't the first time the Kendall County Sheriff has landed in hot water.
The state launched an investigation into Auxier's activities in 2011 to determine whether he held an illegal raffle event to help raise money for his election campaign.
The state later said authorities "found no criminal conduct" stemming from the fundraiser.