'I'm afraid all the time now'

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By Tracy Vedder

Summary

A veteran Snohomish County corrections officer says her supervisor sexually harassed her for years and the head of the Snohomish County Jail knew about but did nothing.

Story Published: Feb 6, 2008 at 7:38 PM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 6, 2008 at 7:41 PM PDT

'I'm afraid all the time now'
A veteran corrections officer says her boss sexually harassed her for years, making her terribly sick. Angela Ernsdorff says the sexual harassment was humiliating but - just as bad - the head of the Snohomish County Jail knew about it and did nothing.

Ernsdorff talked exclusively to the KOMO 4 Problem Solvers about her million and a half dollar claim against the county.

"I'm afraid all the time now," she said.

For seven years, Ernsdorff excelled in a tough job, supervising inmates for Snohomish County. Her awards and reviews call her a dependable professional with good initiative.

"I loved my job," Ernsdorff said. "I was really proud of the fact that I worked there."

But over the past two years, this tough woman crumbled. "It's like going through a death - of myself." Doctors diagnosed her with post traumatic stress and fibromyalgia, a debilitating pain disorder.

Eventually Ernsdorff's pain became so unbearable she nearly had to give up the one thing that gave her some emotional relief - riding horses. She used to be a competitive rider on an Olympic hopeful team. Her stable walls are filled with awards.

"She was just like this immovable object when she was on her horse," said Centered Riding Instructor Elaine Meredith-Steele, who works with riders suffering from all types of physical ailments. Only lessons from this specialized riding instructor could get Ernsdorff back up on her horse.

"There is not one aspect of my life that this hasn't touched," Ernsdorff said. She claims it's all because of her boss, Jail Commander Jim Harms.

"He would touch....He would put his arm around me and he would touch my breasts. I was terrified of him."

Ernsdorff says she reported Harms' behavior to two sergeants, her captain, and another commander who used to be her boss. "They listened and they were concerned, but as soon as I told them who it was, they dropped it."

As a last resort, Ernsdorff filed a $1.5 million civil claim against Snohomish County. We tried several times to contact Jim Harms and his supervisor, but they did not return our calls.

A spokesman for the county says the case is "currently still under investigation," and therefore no one will comment.

Ernsdorff doesn't know what will happen next. She wants her life back, and she wants changes at the jail. "I don't want him to ever do this to another woman."

Snohomish County is currently keeping Ernsdorff on paid administrative leave while they investigate her claim. The Corrections Officers Guild has also filed a union grievance over this case.