The former warden and five other former employees of a north Louisiana parish prison have been indicted, accused of abusing prisoners. The warden himself is accused of using an electronic riot shield to shock and crush more than a dozen prisoners who were cuffed and not resisting; the others are accused of failing to intervene; they're all accused of conspiring in a cover-up.
A federal grand jury in Shreveport handed up the indictment this week against the former warden, assistant warden and deputy at the Catahoula Parish Correctional Center, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. You can read the indictment for yourself by scrolling down.
One former CPCC employee, Carl Michael Williamson, 40 of Jonesville, already has pleaded guilty in the case. A former CPCC transportation officer, he pleaded guilty to one count of abuse of rights under color of law for striking one of the inmates in the head and one count of falsifying a report, which covered up the abuse.
Named in this week's indictment are:
Jeremy Wiley, 44, of Harrisonburg, the former warden. He's accused of conspiracy against rights; 11 counts of abuse of rights under color of law by cruel and unusual punishment; and two counts abuse of rights under color of law by unreasonable force.
Gary Allen, 57, of Winnsboro, the former assistant warden. He's accused of conspiracy against rights; 13 counts of abuse of rights by failure to intervene; one count filing a false report; and one count witness tampering. The tampering charge accuses him of ordering Williamson to fabricate some parts of a report and leave out the assaults.
William Savage, 57, of Monroe, a former colonel in the correctional center. He's accused of conspiracy against rights; 13 counts of abuse of rights by failure to intervene to stop the assaults; and one count filing false reports.
James Wathen, 37, of Jonesville, the center's former chief of security. He's accused of conspiracy against rights; 13 counts of abuse of rights for failing to intervene to stop the assault and one count filing false reports.
Chad Littleton 45, of Harrisonburg, a former Catahoula Parish Sheriff's deputy. He's accused of conspiracy against rights; one count abuse of rights by cruel and unusual punishment for striking a prisoner in the head and genitals; and one count filing a false report.
These defendants face up to ten years imprisonment on the abuse of rights and conspiracy counts, and up to twenty years imprisonment on the false report and witness tampering offenses.
Court records show they're all set for their initial appearances in an Alexandria courtroom on May 13 at 10:30 a.m.
The indictment, which you can read for yourself by scrolling down, alleges that Wiley, who was warden of the prison at the time, used the riot shield on February 1, 2024 to shock and crush 13 men - even though the prisoners were handcuffed, compliant and had been subdued by pepper spray in a rec yard.
Allen, Savage and Wathen, then high-ranking supervisors there, had the means and opportunity to stop him but they chose not too, the indictment alleges. The indictment alleges that they would tell other officers to turn off their body-worn cameras, ensure footage of the assaults wasn't preserved, and submitted false reports that omitted the assaults.
Specifically, Littleton and Williamson continued the assault by striking prisoners, and all the men wrote false reports to cover up what happened, the indictment alleges.
The whole incident began when the 13 prisoners - who had been housed in a cell meant for only six prisoners for several days - started a non-violent protest in the rec yard, the indictment alleges. Wiley, the former warden, is accused of using an electrified riot shield to crush the men. The indictment describes it as a shield that is covered with metal conduction strips that deliver high-voltage, low-amperage and low-current electrical shocks, typically 50,000 to 80,000 volts.
“The facts as alleged dishonor the men and women who put their safety on the line every day to maintain order in our prison system, and they are a disgraceful abuse of the trust that we place in them to treat people in prison with dignity and respect,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “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.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Johnson and LaDonte Murphy with assistance from Legal Assistant Tanya Broussard.
Here's the indictment:
