Published Thursday March 21, 2002

Sheriff in Brandon case again seeks a Badge

BY JOE KOLMAN

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER TECUMSEH, Neb. - The former Richardson County sheriff who was involved in the Teena Brandon case is now working as a state corrections officer and is running for Johnson County sheriff.

Charles Laux filed for the sheriff's position in February.

Laux was hired at the new state prison in Tecumseh last summer, about three months after the Nebraska Supreme Court criticized his handling of Brandon's reported rape.

Brandon was a young woman who posed as a man. She was killed in 1993 by the two men she had accused of rape days before. The case garnered national attention and inspired the Oscar-winning movie "Boys Don't Cry."

Laux, a two-term Democratic sheriff in Richardson County from 1987 to 1995, filed as a Democrat against Republican Stanley Osterhoudt, who is seeking a third term.

Osterhoudt declined to comment directly on Laux's candidacy. "I think people should just look at the records," he said.

Laux lives in Richardson County, but state law allows him to run for sheriff in nearby Johnson County, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

If he wins the November election, he would have to move to Johnson County. Tecumseh is the Johnson County seat.

Laux could not be reached for comment.

In questioning Brandon about the rape, the court said that Laux was more interested in Brandon's sexuality than in her allegations and that his language was offensive and unprofessional.

"Laux's conduct was extreme and outrageous, beyond all possible bounds of decency, and is to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community," Chief Judge John Hendry wrote for the court.

Tecumseh Warden Fred Britten said Laux completed training and is qualified for the prison job, which pays $24,340 annually. The prison began taking inmates in December.

"He's been doing a good job working here," Britten said.

Tim Butz, executive director of ACLU Nebraska, said Laux certainly has a right to work. But he questioned if caring for prisoners is the best occupation.

"His past behavior raises serious questions about whether he can treat inmates in a way that conforms to his constitutional responsibilities," Butz said.

Brandon's mother has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for emotional distress suffered by her daughter.

The Supreme Court's ruling directed a lower court to examine whether Teena Brandon suffered extreme emotional distress and whether Laux caused it.

Laux lost a re-election campaign for sheriff in 1994. He blamed part of his defeat on felony charges against him for selling cars without a dealer's license. The charges later were reduced to misdemeanors, and Laux paid a $200 fine.

He was elected a Richardson County commissioner in 1996, but he lost a bid for a second term in 2000.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.