SNOW HILL — A Kenyan man formally imprisoned at the Worcester County Jail is suing the institution for a number of alleged inadequacies, including denial of medical services, a lack of security and unlawful confinement.

Dr. Harry Osore, 59, is asking for $5 million in the suit
filed in in Worcester County District Court, contending that he was wrongfully
treated during his time served at the jail from Jan. 5 to May 15 of this year.

Although Osore was in the county jail, he officially was
in the custody of the United States Department of Homeland Security and
Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Because of that, Osore said in his suit,
the Worcester County Jail must adhere to specific services for DHS and ICE
inmates, along with providing health care services and access to library and
recreational facilities.

Osore claims he never received medical care after
repeatedly inquiring about a viral infection. He also said it took more than
one month to see a doctor about a fungal infection.

After being assaulted by a fellow ICE detainee, the
plaintiff claims he was inexplicably put in the maximum security area of the
jail for two weeks and did not have access to showers, the law library and
recreational facilities.

During this time, Osore said he was then assaulted by a
general population inmate, who spit on him.

“This was a violation of the DHS/ICE contract that
requires clear separation of ICE detainees from the general population,” said
Osore in the suit. He alleges that the incident was never investigated, nor was
there any action taken against the aggressor.

While he was part of the maximum security population, he
was not granted regular access to the law library, he said, and that led him to
be unprepared for an immigration case he had to attend.

“At best, intermittent access was authorized after several
weeks of requests,” he said in the lawsuit.

Sonny Bloxom, attorney for Worcester County, said he was
unable to comment on the specific allegations because he has not received the
suit yet, but asserted that there is reason to speculate Osore’s claims.

“Our jail is run in a very professional manner to the
highest standards, and therefore I would doubt that there is any validity to
his allegations.”

Osore did not hire an attorney for his lawsuit, which
could have problems already. Although he is suing for $5 million, the maximum
amount of money he can receive from a suit at the district court level is
$30,000, according to court sources.

 Currently,
there is no court date set, as Osore has not yet paid the lawsuit’s filing fee
after being denied request for the charge to be waived.