Chief sues Iowa police academy over toxic gas leak in 2018

DES MOINES , Iowa (AP) — A police chief is suing the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for injuries he suffered from a 2018 carbon monoxide leak that exposed dozens of recruits to unsafe levels of the toxic gas. 

Justin Lyman, police chief in the northwestern Iowa town of Newell, was among dozens of trainees sleeping in a dormitory on the academy’s Johnston campus when its ventilation systems failed.

In an amended petition filed this week, Lyman said he and his roommates woke up light-headed and one of them began having a seizure after the colorless, odorless gas spread. He and 70 others were treated at a hospital. 

The lawsuit alleges the academy was negligent and seeks compensation for his injuies.