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A Dulac teen whose bullying by a Terrebonne Parish deputy was circulated widely on social media last year is suing deputies involved in the incident and the Sheriff’s office.
View the video HERE. WARNING: Strong language.
Attorneys for 19-year-old Christopher Verdin Jr. allege that officers dragged him from their patrol car after he was fully secured and that “individual Officers assaulted and battered Plaintiff, using excessive force.”
Two deputies, Joseph Cehan III and Charles Cook Jr. were fired by Sheriff Jerry Larpenter in connection with the May 13 arrest of Verdin on the complaint of his mother. She called 911 alleging that her son had beaten a dog, fired a shot and menaced family members with a firearm.
Cehan, Cook and other deputies confronted Verdin on Grand Caillou Road a distance from the mother’s home without incident. Verdin was driven back to the mother’s home, where a bystander’s video shows Cehan yanking Verdin from the patrol vehicle and aggressively challenging the teen to fight him. Cehan also un-cuffed Verdin’s wrists. The video was shared on Facebook in excess of 100,000 times.
Cook was dismissed for covering up the incident. The third deputy, Cody Guilbeaux, was reprimanded for not reporting it. Guilbeaux still works for TPSO.
All three are named in the lawsuit, filed by New Orleans attorney Bradley Egenberg.
“We fully expect that the Sheriff will cower behind a self-serving declaration of ‘that’s not our department policy,” Egenberg said. “Really, though, this is no different than a schoolboy on any playground simply declaring himself ‘not it’—only this is not a game of tag. My client is seriously injured at the hands of these deputies. And it’s all on video for everyone to see.”
Larpenter stands by his dismissal of Cehan and Cook, but challenges Egenberg’s take on the incident.
“If he that’s what he sees he must have been looking at another video,” Larpenter said, when informed of Egenberg’s comment. “I don’t know where he’s coming up with injuries unless someone whipped his ass when he got home.”
The Sheriff’s Office’s attorney, William Dodd, said he plans to defend against the case.
“We certainly know from the video that the officer lost his cool so to speak, but this was not a case where someone was wrongfully tazed or punched,” Dodd said. “As the sheriff said at the time we don’t train officers to act like that.”
Told of Egenberg’s comment, Dodd said “I look forward to working with him.”
Verdin is scheduled to appear before State District Judge Randall Bethancourt Feb. 20 on charges of illegal use of a weapon and animal cruelty — both felonies — and illegal carrying of a weapon.
