Former Catahoula Prison Warden, Assistant Warden, and Other Supervisors Indicted for Abusing 13 Handcuffed Prisoners with an Electric Riot Shield and for Trying to Cover It Up;[...]

SHREVEPORT- On May 7, a federal grand jury in Shreveport returned a thirty-four count indictment charging several former managers of the Catahoula Parish Correctional Center ("CPCC") with crimes relating to the use of an electrified riot shied to shock and crush 13 handcuffed, non-resisting prisoners:

• Jeremy Wiley, 44 of Harrisonburg, the former Warden of CPCC, was charged with 13 counts of abuse of rights under color of law for using the electrified riot shield to shock and crush the 13 handcuffed, non-resisting prisoners.

• Gary Allen, 57 of Winnsboro, CPCC's former Assistant Warden, William Savage, 57 of Monroe, CPCC's former Colonel, and James Wathen, 37 of Jonesville, CPCC's former chief of security, were charged with 13 counts of abuse of rights for their failures to intervene to stop the assaults.

• Chad Littleton, 45 of Harrisonburg, a former Catahoula Parish Sheriff's Deputy, was charged with one count of abuse of rights for striking a prisoner in the head and genitals.

All five men were also charged with conspiring to violate the rights of the prisoners as well as falsifying reports about the incident. Allen also faces one count of witness tampering. In addition, on April 14, Carl Michael Williamson, 40 of Jonesville, a former CPCC transportation officer, pleaded guilty in a related case 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 of the 13 prisoners.

The 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.

"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 FBI will not tolerate law enforcement officers' criminal abuse and mistreatment of prisoners in their custody," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. "We will diligently investigate allegations such as these and hold the perpetrators accountable. The FBI is grateful for its law enforcement partners and especially the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana for its work on this case."

According to court documents, on February 1, 2024, then-Warden Wiley used an electrified riot shield to shock and crush 13 men in the custody of CPCC while they were handcuffed, compliant, and subdued by pepper spray in a CPCC recreation yard. Allen, Savage, and Wathen, who were high-ranking supervisors at the facility, had the means and opportunity to stop the abuse but instead chose not to intervene. Littleton and Williamson continued the assault by also striking prisoners. All six of the men wrote false reports to cover up what happened, and Allen continued the obstructive activity by tampering with a witness. Before the assault, the 13 prisoners had been housed in "Cell 12," a cell containing six beds, for several days. The prisoners were transported to the rec yard where the assault occurred shortly after they started a non-violent protest regarding their overcrowded living conditions.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.

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.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacerLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. The case number for United States v. Jeremy Wiley et al. is 26-CR-00190, and the case number for United States v. Carl Williamson is 26-CR-00127.

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