SHREVEPORT, La. (KLFY) – After five days in the courtroom, a federal jury found Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal not guilty on four counts of federal civil rights violations.
The jury deliberated for five hours this afternoon before reaching their verdict.
The charges stemmed from accusations of abuse of inmates and citizens, including an incident at the Iberia Parish jail in 2011.
Jurors heard from deputies who described beating suspects and inmates.
Lt. Gerald Savoy, a current top ranking officer, and nine former employees of the sheriff’s office pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges over the jail beatings.
The local district attorney has dismissed more than 100 criminal cases connected to the officers who pleaded guilty.
