ABBEVILLE, La. — The city marshal who handcuffed and arrested a Louisiana teacher in videos that sparked internet outrage was a defendant in a lawsuit alleging excessive force in 2011.
Reggie Hilts, now a marshal in Abbeville, was a police officer in the city of Scott when the incident occurred. He and another officer were accused in a federal lawsuit of slamming an ailing 62-year-old man’s head on a concrete slab during an arrest.
The officers denied excessive force was used. They said the man was uncooperative and resisted arrest after city crews were dispatched to cut grass and weeds on his property.
The suit, filed in 2012, was settled in 2016. The Scott police chief said Hilts left the department in November 2011 for reasons having nothing to do with the incident.
Hilts, who works as a school resource officer at J.H. Williams Middle School in Vermilion Parish, hasn’t spoken publicly about the Monday arrest of Deyshia Hargrave. Vermilion Parish Schools Superintendent Jerome Puyau told The Associated Press that Hilts is also a local pastor.
“He’s a very good guy, he’s a pastor, respectable citizen here, and is well-respected in the community,” Puyau said. “Students and teachers love him.”
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5 comments:
Oh ho ho...So it was Abbeville! I know that town and I know of that son of a bitch. I hope he gets what's coming to him!
Even a pastor can think what ever he says is law and be a bully,he should be working a job in a ditch all by himself,sounds like 3:12 has got him pegged pretty well.
#BLM
This is what occurs when the standards are lowered for law enforcement personnel.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Oh ho ho...So it was Abbeville! I know that town and I know of that son of a bitch. I hope he gets what's coming to him!
January 12, 2018 at 3:12 PM
I don't know this guy or that town that you seem to, but I have been doing some research on this guy.
He is 31yoa, which caused a red flag to pop up for me, and a pastor, which also caused a red flag to pop up for me.
He is a Sgt and a deputy city marshall for that town and serves as a school resource officer for the school board. The city attorney has made a statement that the city is not involved in this in any way, it is totally a school board issue. He also stated he was not pursuing any charges and says the school board does not wish to pursue any charges.
Any young person in a position of authority like he is I am skeptical of, but that's just me. As I feel he is awfully young to be a pastor too but he is not the first. Personally, I like both of these types to have more life experience to be in those positions.
He and another officer were involved in an excessive force federal lawsuit back in 2011, which seems to have been settled. He/they slammed a 62yoa man on a concrete slab breaking ribs and causing the man to have six staples put in his head to stop the bleeding.
I am not at all impressed with this young man. Nor for that school board for that matter and it reminds me of the issues Wicomico County has with its own school board. I am now wondering if all school boards are like these two.
The governor of that state has also expressed in a statement that he saw nothing in the video that warranted such action from the officer. This seems like a pattern with officers in every state that has been going of for a number of years now and I think it is past time to hold these officers accountable personally and not just force cities, states, school boards, etc., to settle lawsuits in their behalf.
After my preliminary findings with this guy, I do agree with your assessment of him and his character. He seems to have issues with the performance of his duties.
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