A former county 911 dispatcher has filed a lawsuit accusing a Warren County sheriff’s deputy of sexual harassment.Crystal Holifield, Warrenton, alleges in the suit that Sgt. Scott Taylor harassed her numerous times in 2011 while she was employed as a dispatcher for Warren County Joint Communications (WCJC).According to the complaint, Taylor called Holifield names, rubbed cupcake frosting on her face, painted her with a highlighter and pointed his taser at her breasts and head while he was at the WCJC offices.Taylor was certified as a taser instructor for Taser International and was the taser instructor for Warren County, the suit states.In late 2011, Holifield alleges Taylor held his taser to her leg, pulled it away and then conducted a spark test of the taser device.It was at that moment, the suit alleges, that Holifield no longer considered Taylor’s conduct to be only joking and teasing.The multi-count suit, filed July 2 in Warren County Circuit Court, alleges sexual harassment, hostile work environment and assault and battery against Taylor.Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are a number of Warren County agencies and other county officials who are being sued in their official capacity.They include: The WCJC, its board of directors, Warren County, the Warren County commissioners and Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison.The suit alleges that all of the alleged acts of discrimination occurred at the WCJC facility while Taylor was in uniform and often in the presence of other WCJC employees including her supervisor.Holifield claims in the suit that she did not take advantage of any preventive or corrective action because she feared it would lead to retaliation for her husband, James Holifield, who was also a sheriff’s deputy at the time of the alleged harassment.The suit claims Taylor was James Holifield’s boss.Holifield said she also feared speaking out against Taylor after he indicated he was going to run for election to be a member of the WCJC Board of Directors.The suit claims that Taylor admitted in writing he committed multiple acts of sexual harassment.Harrison declined to comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit other than to say that once the allegations were brought to his attention his office conducted an internal investigation and took appropriate corrective action.Harrison said Taylor is currently employed as a shift supervisor with his department.He said that James Holifield left the sheriff’s department some time ago to take a position with the Wright City Police Department. He also confirmed that Crystal Holifield is no longer employed at the WCJC.The suit seeks both actual and punitive damages.911