This article originally appeared on WDSU on December 30th, 2016. Read the full article online here.
By Aubry Killion
A federal lawsuit filed this week alleges sexual abuse of an incarcerated teenage girl by a St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Attorney Gary Bizal told WDSU that his client was jailed and serving time for disturbing the peace and fighting. Bizal said the alleged sexual abuse by Deputy Eddie Williams happened inside the St. Bernard Parish Jail.
“She’s obviously been devastated by this and is undergoing counseling right now, as is her mother,” Bizal said.
WDSU reached out to the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, which said Williams was put on leave in December 2015, but no evidence to substantiate a charge was found.
Now that new allegations have surfaced, Williams has been reassigned to the adult jail and an investigation is ongoing.
“I’m concerned about the delay in the process of the investigation,” Bizal said. “I know the Sheriff’s Office did their own internal investigation. They are indicating that they initially saw no wrongdoing, but now are re-investigating, which is a little confusing to me. And I’ve spoken to the district attorney’s office. They claim they are still looking at it, and they want to review video that apparently exists.”
The teen is now 16 years old and out of jail.
Bizal said he is pushing for an independent investigation by the FBI. WDSU reached out to the district attorney’s office for comment, but has not received a response.
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