By Brian McCallum
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
HARRISONBURG, La. — Six members of Catahoula Parish law enforcement were indicted Thursday in Shreveport and accused of abuse of 13 handcuffed inmates with an electric instrument and an ensuing coverup.
Those charged include Jeremy Wiley, 44 of Harrisonburg, warden of the Catahoula Parish Correctional Center at the time of the alleged abuse. He faces 13 counts of abuse of rights under the color of law. Wiley allegedly used an electrified riot shield to shock the prisoners, who were prone, handcuffed and not resisting, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana.
Court documents allege Wiley used the electrified shield on the inmates on Feb. 1, 2024, when they were on the floor and had been subdued by pepper spray. The men had been kept in a six-bed cell for several days and were taken to the recreation yard for abuse after they engaged in a non-violent protest over overcrowding.
Charged with abuse of rights for failing to intervene were Gary Allen, 57 of Winnsboro, then the assistant warden; William Savage, 57 of Monroe, then jail colonel; and James Wathen, 37 of Jonesville, who was head of security.
Chad Littleton, 45 of Harrisonburg and a Catahoula Sheriff’s Office deputy, was accused of abuse of rights for striking a prisoner in the head and genitals.
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Each was also charged with conspiring to violate the rights of prisoners and falsifying reports. Allen also faces a witness-tampering charge.
Carl Michael Williamson, 40 of Jonesville and then a transportation officer for the jail, entered a guilty plea on April 14 to abuse of rights under color of law. He was accused of striking a prisoner in the head and also falsifying a report.
The FBI investigated the case. The federal penalty for the abuse of rights charges is up to 10 years. Falsifying a report and witness tampering can result in sentences of up to 20 years.
“The Department of Justice will zealously investigate and prosecute any officer— no matter their title or rank — who tarnishes the badge worn by the brave men and women of Louisiana’s law enforcement community,” U.S. Attorney Zach Keller said.
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