Investigation underway after video shows Claiborne warden hitting inmate

By Web Staff and Tiffany Flournoy

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    HOMER, Louisiana (KTBS) — Claiborne Parish Sheriff Sam Dowies says he is investigating after video surfaced showing some of his jail employees striking, swearing at, and macing a jail inmate.

The video was shown to KTBS-3 News by Homer Police Chief Van McDaniel, who said he is concerned about sending suspects to the jail after his department arrests them.

The inmate is Cedre Moore, 22, of Homer. He was arrested in April on multiple outstanding warrants for violent offenses such as aggravated assault and resisting an officer, among other charges. But McDaniel said Moore did not give his officers any problem when they picked him up.

The video takes place in the Claiborne Parish Detention Center, where a Homer police officer brought Moore for booking. It’s captured on his body camera.

“You’re gonna show some (expletive) respect to him,” said one of the female employees present. “Who do you think you’re disrespecting (expletive)?”

As Moore got up from the bench at the officers’ direction, he walks by warden Dusty Williams who, seemingly unprovoked, hits him in the back of the head.

“Who do you want to laugh at? Who do you think you’re disrespecting little (expletive)?” asked Williams. “Why you smiling and think you’re going to disrespect me?”

That’s when Moore is put into a room and maced.

At that point, Moore screams in pain at being maced. He’s then mocked by the male employee.

“Aaaaaah my (expletive). I’m going to give you some more (mace).”

After Moore is maced, the employees cough and cover their faces and go outside to get some fresh air. Moore is left inside back on the bench where the incident began.

“Please, sit down boy! You’re gonna learn to respect. I didn’t arrest you, I didn’t say (expletive) to you,” said Williams.

Moore is then addressed by the lone male employee present.

“Sit your (expletive) down and put that (expletive) shirt on,” the employee says in the video.

McDaniel told KTBS he is now concerned about sending suspects to the detention center if this is how they’re going to be treated. He pointed out what he finds most disturbing.

“Well, of course the language was extremely inappropriate,” McDaniel said. “And the fact that the warden struck that young man in the back of the head, that was concerning, very concerning.”

KTBS-3 News also spoke with Claiborne Sheriff Sam Dowies about the incident as his department runs the detention center. Dowies refused to go on camera for an interview but did answer some questions.

He told KTBS-3 News that the matter is now under investigation. He also said that the male employee who maced Moore has been terminated.

McDaniel described the sheriff’s employees’ behavior as “not professional.”

“I can imagine, you know, what happens when nobody’s around? I mean, of course, that day, they were thinking that nobody was looking, nobody knew, nobody would find out. But it just so happened the officer’s body camera was running at the time. And the incident was caught totally by mistake. But still, what happens when there’s nobody there? You know, it’s extremely disturbing and I worry about some of the people we send out there,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel said law enforcement officers are taught to remain professional in all circumstances and to de-escalate the situation. But he believes the detention center staff “most definitely” escalated the situation with Moore since he was not demonstrating any violence toward them. If he had, then he should have been charged with that, McDaniel said.

And even though the physical interaction is between Williams, who is white, and Moore, who is black, McDaniel does not believe it was racially motivated. “It’s just totally unprofessional,” he said.

“These are the types of things that make people not like law enforcement, make people not like us, make people want to kill us. … This is not good for the image of law enforcement,” McDaniel said.

But Dowies says he stands by his warden. Dowies also told KTBS that open handed strikes are permitted under certain conditions at the facility.

At two points in the video Williams turns to other inmates in the room and tells them “open hand, open hand,” referring to her strike. Dowies said Williams brings discipline and order to the facility that was not present before.

Dowies also told KTBS that he believes the release of the video from inside his jail was politically motivated and part of an ongoing rift between his department and the Homer Police Department.

McDaniel did not mention a feud between him and the sheriff, but he did acknowledge the lack of communication between the two, which he termed as a “detriment to public safety” in the parish. “The sheriff don’t want to listen to anything I got to say about this.”

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