Former Cullman County deputy files federal lawsuit over alleged illegal phone seizure

Payton Rohrscheib, a former detention deputy for Cullman County, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Sheriff Matt Gentry and Captain Phillip Harris illegally seized and searched his personal cellphone. The lawsuit claims the search occurred after Rohrscheib reported a cybersecurity vulnerability in a law enforcement information system. The complaint also alleges retaliation and unpaid overtime.

Sheriff Matt Gentry has dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous,” maintaining that the sheriff’s office acted in accordance with the law. The legal action, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, originally named several officials as defendants, though legal counsel for Rohrscheib indicated plans to amend the complaint to focus on Gentry, Harris, and Cullman County.