pWATERTOWN — An ex-convict has dropped her federal lawsuit against Jefferson County and its retired Undersheriff Andrew R. Neff in which she claimed Mr. Neff offered to intercede on her behalf with the district attorney’s office in exchange for sex./ppMichele R. Bowens, Watertown, filed a voluntary notice of dismissal Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Syracuse. Chief Judge Glenn T. Suddaby approved the dismissal, closing the two-year-old case./ppMs. Bowen’s attorney, Charu Narang Reid, Rochester, formerly of Sackets Harbor, could not be reached for comment about the reasons for the suit’s dismissal. /ppAccording to an amended complaint filed in October 2014, Ms. Bowens claimed she first met Mr. Neff in about 2007 when she was in the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building awaiting a prison sentence for her role in a shoplifting ring that targeted Walmart. /ppAt the time, Mr. Neff was a member of the Metro-Jeff Drug Task Force, and Ms. Bowens claimed she offered to work as an informant with the force in exchange for a reduced sentence. She ultimately was sentenced to 1½ to 3 years in prison, and was released in September 2008. /ppShe claimed that Mr. Neff “coerced” her into sexual acts with him “on multiple occasions and in various locations and times” during 2007 and 2008. /ppIn October 2012, Ms. Bowens was indicted on charges related to obtaining refunds from a McDonald’s by signing fictitious names to receipts. She claimed that Mr. Neff contacted her about the indictment and told her he would speak to the district attorney’s office about the charges if she “performed sexual favors for him.” /ppShe claimed that later the same day, Mr. Neff sent her a photo of his “private parts” using a county-issued phone. She contended that when she refused to meet with Mr. Neff “to perform sexual favors,” he “engaged in a pattern of verbal and sexual harassment” against her, prompting her to ask him not to contact her anymore. She claimed she received another picture of Mr. Neff’s private parts on the day she requested he not contact her further. /ppMs. Bowens claimed that the actions by the police officer, who retired in February 2013, violated her civil rights. /ppShe further alleged in the amended suit that the Sheriff’s Department and retired Sheriff John P. Burns were aware of Mr. Neff’s actions and permitted them to continue. She also claimed the department and the sheriff inadequately trained their staff on sexual harassment and discrimination matters. /ppMs. Bowens publicly made allegations against Mr. Neff in October 2012, but did not file suit until May 2014 because she was in prison for much of the subsequent time. At the time Mr. Neff allegedly offered to intercede on her behalf, Ms. Bowens was facing forgery and stolen property charges. While those charges were pending, she again was charged with possession of stolen property, two credit cards taken from an Adams Center man. /ppAfter pleading guilty to the three charges in County Court, she was sentenced in March 2013 to 1½ to 3 years in prison and was released under parole supervision in April 2014./ppAccording to a status report filed March 17 by Mr. Neff’s attorney, Shannon T. O’Connor, Syracuse, a defense attorney representing the county did not obtain the cell phone Ms. Bowens used in her exchanges with Mr. Neff until Feb. 22. The phone was in state police custody until November and then returned to its owner, a “non-party witness” other than Ms. Bowen, who turned it over to the county attorney./ppOn March 1, Mr. Neff requested supplemental discovery materials which included an exhibit that was a record of text messages from Ms. Bowens to Mr. Neff, according to the status letter. Ms. Bowen and Mr. Neff were scheduled to be deposed March 17, but Ms. Connor wrote that Ms. Narang Reid called her the day before, requesting an adjournment of Ms. Bowens’s deposition./pp“(Ms. Narang Reid) indicated that she was previously unaware of these text messages sent by her client and wished to have additional time to discuss those text messages with her client,” Ms. O’Connor wrote. “In addition, (Ms. Narang Reid) indicated that she would be in touch with defense counsel sometime next week, following her conversation with her client, regarding whether or not to pursue this action further.” /ppMs. Narang Reid filed a notice of dismissal nine days later./p
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