Lawsuit against former DeSoto deputies for beating inmate

Until federal law enforcement picked up the case, an appeals court reversed that court’s decision, and those deputies were convicted before being sent to prison.

Now a law firm is seeking justice, victim’s compensation, and questioning the policing tactics of these agencies in Louisiana.

“From a human standpoint the video is hard to watch. It makes you wonder how two human beings could think beating a third human being nearly to death was okay or somehow justified,” said Michael Imbroscio, partner at Covington and Burling LLP.

Video obtained by the law firm and the Associated Press shows the incident inside the DeSoto Parish Detention Center in 2019 showing inmate Jarius Brown being punched 50 times by the two former deputies. The video was only released after the Louisiana Court of Appeal reversed the state court’s dismissal of the case.

“When we saw the video we were quite flabbergasted how up until the point the Justice Department prosecuted these two deputies how anyone could how that viewed and thought that it was okay,” Imbroscio said.

When the Department of Justice investigated the deputies named Javarrea Pouncy and DeMarkes Grant, they were ultimately sent to federal prison. Before that happened, Louisiana State Police first investigated then ruled Brown was the aggressor, not the deputies who state police cleared of any wrongdoing.

“What do you think this says about Louisiana State Police and their investigation?” asked Alexandra Meachum.

“Their conclusion which was essentially nothing wrong happened here. It was shocking. Anyone who watches that video can’t possibly think that nothing was wrong about this. It does make me question not just in this case but more broadly the environment that exists in the state’s department,” Imbroscio said.

Brown who was 25 at the time was seen in the video naked while undergoing a strip search by the deputies in the detention center’s laundry room. When the incident was first reviewed by the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office it led to the resignation of one deputy, the other suspended.

“It makes you question the kind of environment and training that would have gone on there that these two officers would have done this then be pretty indifferent about it. They didn’t take him to get a doctor right away. It’s just a callousness that’s very tough as a human being to stomach,” Imbroscio said.

Imbroscio is a partner at Covington and Burling in Washington D.C. which became involved after a referral from the ACLU Justice Lab Project. The firm is taking on the case pro bono along with the ACLU of Louisiana serving as co-counsel. Filing a lawsuit seeking damages for Brown’s injuries and medical expenses.

“The goal of our current lawsuit is to get justice for Jarius. He had to suffer this inhumane beating. It has had a dramatic and profound impact on his life. It’s time to remedy that,” Imbroscio said.

A hearing is set for November 6 in Desoto Parish Court. KTAL/KMSS will continue to follow this story and learn more about the role of the DOJ in local communities pertaining to cases of potential police brutality.

The Associated Press provided video and information for this report. The AP’s full report of the situation and aftermath is available to read.