Former Monroe police officer in Timothy Williams case pleads guilty, faces up to 10 years
The former Monroe Police officer accused of the use of excessive force against a Black man in 2020 pleaded guilty Friday in federal court.
Jared Preston Desadier, 44, of Monroe, pleaded guilty Friday to the April 21, 2020 assault of Timothy Williams.
A federal grand jury indicted Desadier in October 2021 with assaulting Williams in Ouachita Parish. The two-count indictment charged Desadier with willfully depriving an individual of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure and with witness tampering.
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The indictment alleges that, on April 21, 2020, Desadier, while acting in his official capacity, as an officer of the Monroe Police Department, used unjustified force against an arrestee by kicking him in the area of his face and head, and that the assault caused bodily injured and involved the use of a dangerous weapon (a shod foot).
Desadier entered into a plea agreement before United States District Judge Elizabeth Foote during a hearing Friday. Per the terms of the plea agreement, if Desadier pleads guilty to one of the first count the other charge would be dropped.
Desadier faces up to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and fines up to $250,000, including a $100 special assessment fine.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Donecia Banks-Miley, one of Williams' attorneys, said although the case is moving in the right direction, it is still a slap on the wrist. She said Williams is in a depressive state upon hearing the news of Desadier's guilty plea agreement.
"These are lifelong tragedies that he has to deal with," Banks-Miley said. "The trauma is real. It's our job as attorneys to keep him encouraged to give him a glimpse of what could be in the justice system. However, when you have this offender, who's kicking him in the face as if he's playing football, it's kind of hard to keep that faith alive when he's only going to plead to one count."
Banks-Miley said she is confident that Desadier will be an example to the bad apples within the law enforcement and that the community can restore their trust in them.
Banks-Miley said it also disturbing that Desadier is the only officer being charged for Williams' assault when other Monroe Police officers were involved in the assault.
"I ask the question, 'Are you actively investigating these other officers?', Banks-Miley said. "I was told, 'Not at this time? There has not been enough evidence.' There are other videos that will corroborate what happened to that night when Timothy complained on the scene to the supervisor there, to several officers on the scene yet nothing was done. They laughed, they mocked and joked with him. We only have one guy, Jared Desadier, to stand here and take the fall for the entire police agency. We're not happy with that."
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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: FormerMPD pleads guilty in Timothy Williams case, faces up to 10 years
