COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ecuadorian immigrant is suing the jail that holds most ICE detainees from Columbus and central Ohio, alleging an officer assaulted him and left him unable to use his arm.Luis Tenelanda is suing the Butler County Jail and Sheriff’s Office, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones and Sgt. Corneal Rowe for an alleged physical attack while Tenelanda was held at the facility for ICE. Tenelanda alleges the officer violated his Constitutional protections against excessive force and discrimination, and is also suing for battery and assault. Bill to ensure universities comply with anti-DEI law receives 170 opponent testimonies “We Hispanics are not criminals like they call us and treat us. I was working for a very prestigious company in Dayton, Ohio that builds schools, buildings for police and firemen, and hotels,” Tenelada said. “I worked in all of those places until my last day, paying my taxes every year. And it’s not fair that they treat us like this.” Butler County Jail denies mistreatment of ICE detainees. A representative said they do not comment on ongoing litigation but confirmed the jail is aware of Tenelanda’s case.Court documents show Tenelanda was arrested in May 2025 on one charge of driving under the influence, but the charge was dismissed in July 2025. Tenelanda was held at Butler County Jail for ICE for several months after his arrest. He was deported to Ecuador in August after 30 years in the U.S., leaving three U.S. citizen adult children behind. The evening of June 8, 2025, Tenelanda alleged he and his fellow detainees were told there would not be an outdoor break that day and began calling out from their cells. According to court documents, Rowe was among officers responding to inmates’ protests.According to court documents, Rowe allegedly began yelling at Tenelanda and his fellow detainees, allegedly calling them “illegals,” “savages” and “a Mexican son of a b—-.” Tenelanda claims Rowe then came into his cell and began yelling instructions at Tenelanda and pointing at his bed. Columbus Zoo eyeing upscale hotel as part of campus expansion plans Tenelanda said he did not understand the instructions, and began moving toward the bed thinking he was being told to lie down. Court documents allege Rowe then punched Tenelanda hard in the stomach, causing him to hit his head and arm and pass out. The jail then went into lockdown, although reports indicate the lockdown was likely related to a 500-person protest outside the jail that same evening. Court documents claim it took 40-60 minutes for medical staff to arrive in Tenelanda’s cell, and that he awoke dizzy, nauseated and seeing lights, with a headache and bloody arm. Tenelanda claimed medical staff told him he was fine, but he woke up in the middle of the night and twice vomited blood.Court documents state he was taken to the hospital two days later. Tenelanda’s legal team said medical records from the hospital and, later, a doctor in Ecuador corroborated Tenelanda’s account but did not make them public. They alleged officers also took his medical records after he returned from the hospital and did not return them until his lawyer requested them months later.“I know that not all police officers are bad or racist, but that day it was my bad luck that this officer appeared and struck me, and fractured my left shoulder for the rest of my life,” Tenelanda said. “To this day my shoulder feels bad, I cannot work or even lift heavy things.”Tenelanda’s legal team said Butler County Jail did an internal investigation after someone complained about the incident. His lawyers said the internal investigation found Rowe did not file a use-of-force report as required, but did not use unnecessary force. Columbus schools cutting 299 positions Lynn Tramonte with the Ohio Immigrant Alliance hopes Tenelanda’s lawsuit will encourage the Butler County Commissioners to end the county’s agreement with ICE. In 2021, the jail lost its contract with ICE after public pressure alleging abuse of detainees. However, the jail revived its program after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, and received over $6 million from ICE to house detainees last year. This is the third active case alleging abuse at Butler County Jail brought by Norris Law Group. The team also represents two refugees and one American-born U.S. citizen who allege officers at the jail beat inmates and called them racial slurs. Jones, who heads the facility, has been a vocal supporter of ICE and previously said he would ignore possible orders from Gov. Mike DeWine to release an ICE detainee. A spokesperson said the Tenelanda incident was investigated in 2025 and denied the allegations listed in the lawsuit.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.