Inmates Sue Private Firm

Seven inmates who were held at the Coke County Juvenile Justice Center have sued the private firm that operated the lockup, claiming they were abused by a guard who was a registered sex offender.

The inmates allege they were mentally, physically and sexually abused in 2006 and early 2007 by David Andrew Lewis, 24, who worked the night shift until he was fired in March.

The federal civil rights lawsuit, which was filed Friday in San Antonio, names the GEO Group Inc. The Florida-based company ran the facility in Bronte, 30 miles northeast of San Angelo, until the state removed all inmates and canceled GEO's contract in October citing unsanitary and unsafe conditions.