SACRAMENTO — A 24-year veteran of the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department has filed a federal lawsuit claiming she was sexually harassed by Sheriff Ed Prieto over a 14-year period, and that her superiors failed to do anything about it.

Victoria Zetwick, a correctional sergeant at the Yolo County Jail, alleges that Prieto repeatedly subjected her to “unwelcome hugs and kisses” since his election in 1998, including a kiss on the mouth at a May 2003 employee awards ceremony, according to the lawsuit filed Oct. 3 in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

Zetwick, 48, claims the sheriff also greeted other female employees with hugs, while male employees received handshakes, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. It names both Prieto and Yolo County as defendants.

“Prieto’s conduct created a hostile work environment that permanently altered the workplace and unreasonably interfered with plaintiff’s ability to do her job,” the suit says. “Plaintiff found it difficult to concentrate at work when Prieto was nearby, her work was made inefficient during times she tried to avoid contact with Prieto, and she grew anxious and upset when Prieto was nearby or said to be on his way.”

Zetwick claims that none of her supervising lieutenants forwarded her complaints for investigation, and that she was discouraged from making a formal complaint about the alleged May 2003 incident because at the time she was still on probation for her recent promotion to sergeant.

She also feared taking her concerns to the county’s Human Resources Department because, according to the lawsuit, Prieto had socialized with an “upper-level member” of that division outside of work, and Zetwick “was afraid … she would not be believed and/or the Human Resources Department would take Prieto’s side,” the suit says.

Zetwick remains employed by the Sheriff’s Department, where she has worked since being hired as a correctional officer on Jan. 25, 1988, according to county officials. Her attorney, Johnny L. Griffin III, could not be reached for further comment.

Reached by phone Monday, Prieto said he was “surprised” and “offended” by the allegations but declined to comment on them specifically because of the pending litigation.

“It’s unfortunate that misleading statements are being made in the lawsuit,” Prieto said. “The Yolo County Sheriff’s Department takes any allegations of misconduct seriously and does not tolerate any kind of inappropriate behavior.”

Prieto said an outside agency will conduct an internal investigation into the lawsuit’s allegations, “and we’re going to let that investigation take its course.”

County officials also declined to comment “as this is a personnel matter,” county spokeswoman Beth Gabor said.

— Reach Lauren Keene at [email protected] or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter @laurenkeene

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