Atheist Sues Florida Sheriff, Claims Harassment Because of Her 'Non-Religious, Atheist Viewpoint

TAMPA, Fla. (The Blaze/AP) -- A Florida atheist says Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd keeps having her arrested because she's not a Christian.

EllenBeth Wachs, the legal coordinator for a group called "Atheists of Florida," sued Judd Friday in federal court in Tampa, claiming her two recent arrests were retaliation for "assertion of (her) non-religious, atheist viewpoint in the predominantly Christian-oriented Polk County."

Wachs first tangled with Judd last winter after he uprooted the Polk County jail's basketball hoops and donated them to local churches. Her group claimed that was an unconstitutional use of public property.

Since then Judd's agency has charged her with minor crimes, including illegally posing as a lawyer, possession of marijuana and simulating sex sounds from inside her home within earshot of a neighbor's 10-year-old son.

As for the latter accusation, WTVT reported the following back in May:

According to investigators, here's what happened: the boy was playing basketball one morning. Wachs asked him to stop because she was sick and the noise was bothering her. The boy did stop, but a few minutes later, he began shooting hoops with his dad.

Below, watch a news report about the alleged sex-sound simulation:

In late May, Wachs found herself in trouble with the law once again. TheLedger.com has more:

Ellenbeth Wachs, 48, of Lakeland, had about 2 grams of marijuana and a pipe in a safe at her home, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Deputies found the safe when they served a search warrant at Wachs' home on March 3, the day she was booked on a charge of engaging in unauthorized practice of law.

Interestingly, Wachs purportedly appears in a video called, "Secular and Sober: Beating Alcoholism Without AA." This video was posted to YouTube on May 1, 2011. You can watch it here:

Judd's spokeswoman declined to comment on pending litigation.