Oct. 16 (UPI) — A former Louisiana sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to more than three years in prison for assaulting a pretrial detainee five years ago.
Former DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Javarrea Pouncy, 31, had previously entered a guilty plea to one count of using excessive force against a detainee at the DeSoto Parish Jail. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
Pouncy admitted that in 2019 he conducted a strip search of a detainee and repeatedly hit him in the head, face and body despite not posing a threat. The detainee was hospitalized and suffered a broken eye socket and nose, among other injuries.
“The defendant pledged to protect and serve his community, but instead, he repeatedly punched a detainee without justification, leaving him bloodied and broken,” said Assistant Attorney General of Civil Rights Kristen Clarke in a statement.
“People in detention have the right to be treated humanely and not to be brutalized by excessive force. This sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate such abuses behind bars. The Justice Department will hold accountability officials who violate detainees’ civil rights.”
A federal grand jury in Shreveport indicted Pouncy last September on three counts in connection with the case.
He also was investigated for obstruction of justice for allegedly falsifying and making a fake entry in a sheriff’s office report in order to hinder an investigation into the incident.
