Informant sues Rapides Sheriff's Office over rapes after testifying she didn't blame agency
A woman raped while acting as a confidential informant for the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office has sued the agency and others, alleging she was coerced into acting as an informant in exchange for not charging her with felony drug crimes.
During the woman's testimony during the Nov. 17 trial of Antonio Demetrius Jones, the man convicted on two counts of third-degree rape, she said she did not blame the Sheriff's Office for what had happened to her and that she had no intention to sue.
Jones forced the woman to perform oral sex twice as she went to his Texas Avenue home to buy meth on Jan. 13, 2021. She was acting as a confidential informant and was equipped with a device that recorded audio and video, although it did not relay that to nearby detectives in real time.
The woman's attorneys, Jermaine Harris and Alan Prenell, released a statement when asked about her testimony during Jones' trial. It says victims of sexual assault "respond differently to the trauma they suffer due to such a heinous event.
"And oftentimes, many victims fail to report the crimes against them. In this case, the sheriff and his deputies coerced this woman into this situation and failed to protect her. There is no shame in being afraid to take on someone as powerful as the sheriff, and it is inspiring that she now has the strength to hold RPSO accountable for their actions."
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the 9th Judicial District Court, names Jones, Sheriff Mark Wood, Detective Cassie Saucier, Lt. Mark Parker, Rapides Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell, state Attorney General Jeff Landry and Louisiana Office of Risk Management Director Melissa Harris as defendants.
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It states the victim, who is not being named because she is a victim of sexual violence, was arrested in 2020 on drug crime charges, including possession of a controlled dangerous substance II. It also alleges she was coerced into acting as a confidential informant.
"In exchange, she would not be charged with the felony offenses which carried a potential two-year hard labor sentence," the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleges those who told her how to make the drug buys and gave her money to do so didn't have legal authority to do so and did not provide her an attorney or the chance to talk to one about becoming an informant.
It names Saucier, who testified during Jones' trial, as her handler. It also alleges Saucier and Parker told her the buys would be monitored and that they'd protect her.
The lawsuit contends the Sheriff's Office never ran a background check on Jones before allowing the victim to proceed with the drug buy.
Saucier testified she was introduced to the woman by another officer who thought the woman might have good information for her. She also testified it can be easier to use informants because drug dealers are paranoid, and they often know what is happening on the streets.
“Sometimes that’s the only way, sir,” she told Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Brian Cespiva, who prosecuted the case against Jones.
Saucier also testified that people aren't forced to work as informants and that they sign agreements before doing so. She acknowledged some do so to get a break on criminal charges they're facing but said people have different reasons for becoming informants.
The suit claims the drug buy on the day of the rapes took much longer than usual, yet nobody from the team monitoring it came to her aid. It also notes the threats Jones made against the victim during the rapes and how Jones stopped during one of the rapes to complete another drug deal with two other people who came to the house.
It alleges Saucier told the victim of concerns for her safety after the rapes.
"Petitioner was told by Saucier that they had feared for her safety and that officers knew that there was a problem and safety concern because of the inordinate amount of time that petitioner had been inside the home," the lawsuit reads. "Saucier admitted that the officers had a discussion about entering Jones' home to secure petitioner's safety, but that Saucier decided to let things 'play out.' "
It also states other officers urged Saucier to do something, but she "chose not to intervene."
The victim suffered "extreme emotional pain and distress" through her testimony during Jones' trial. The lawsuit states she has been threatened by a member of Jones' family.
Wood and the agency have failed to train, supervise or discipline officers in the use of informants, exposing them to harm or death, the suit alleges. Those failures include not providing proper equipment to monitor informants.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Informant sues Rapides Sheriff's Office over rapes during drug sting
