NEW ALBANY, Ind. -- The attorney for Harrison County Sheriff Mike Deatrick is responding to sexual battery and harassment allegations against him.

County dispatchers Deanna Decker and Melissa Graham filed a lawsuit against Deatrick in June. Among other charges, it accuses the veteran lawman of making unwanted sexual advances toward them and of fondling them several times over a three-year period.

"They've been violated," said their attorney Charles Miller. "They want justice."

The Chicago-based attorney representing Deatrick and the Harrison County Sheriff's Department has now filed a response to the lawsuit.

"Defendants deny the allegations contained in this paragraph," Elizabeth Knight wrote in response to each paragraph of allegations laid out in the lawsuit.

Knight also raises several defenses for her client:

"Defendants exercised reasonable care to address the complaints which alleged sexually harassing behavior," Knight wrote. "And, Plaintiffs unreasonably failed to take advantage of preventative or corrective opportunities provided to them by Defendants to avoid harm."

Miller said his clients filed complaints with sheriff's office administrators but nothing was done.

"I find it astonishing they would make this defense seeing as how he's (Deatrick) the one who perpetrated these acts against my client," said Miller.

Knight also contends the lawsuit's allegations "fail to rise to the level of a hostile work environment."

Miller said he doesn't buy that defense either.

"If that's not hostile, if that's not offensive, I'm not sure what is," said Miller of accusations Deatrick grabbed one dispatcher's breasts and forced his hands down the pants of the other.

In the court documents, Knight argues Deatrick can't be held liable in his individual capacity, only in his official capacity under Indiana Law.

Miller said while Indiana law may allow for that, federal law does not.

"He is not excluded from liability either in his official capacity or his individual capacity," said Miller.

WLKY has also learned Indiana state police continue to investigate the allegations. According to documents released to WLKY, a detective with ISP's Sellersburg Post is exploring potential sexual battery charges against Deatrick.

If charges are filed, Miller said he'll ask Harrison County Prosecutor Dennis Byrd to appoint a special prosecutor to present the case to a grand jury. He also said he'll ask for a special judge to be appointed to the case because of potential conflicts of interest.