This week, the Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC) terminated former Louisiana State Penitentiary employee Lieutenant Barrett Boeker, and the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office charged Boeker with misdemeanor simple battery. Monday's actions come after DOC's investigation determined that Boeker violated several Department rules.
The DOC investigation confirmed that on March 19, 2020, Boeker had words with an inmate, and then sprayed the inmate inside his cell with a water fire extinguisher. Following the incident, Boeker claimed he sprayed the extinguisher because there was a fire inside the inmate's cell, which the investigation determined there was no fire. Boeker violated several departmental policies when he used excessive force, failed to follow orders, made false statements, and failed to perform his duties as an officer.
“We will not tolerate this type of behavior,” said Department of Public Safety and Corrections Secretary James M. Le Blanc. “This is a sad day in our Department. This individual does not represent the dedicated employees who are committed to keeping our prisons and our public safe."
The DOC turned over its findings to Sheriff's investigators and the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident, which resulted in Boeker being charged with misdemeanor simple battery. He was issued a misdemeanor summons on Monday and has a mandatory court date to appear before the Judge on his charges.
“In an effort to protect our current inmate population from unnecessary exposure to COVID-19, we have been booking in offenders with felony charges only after a thorough screening for virus symptoms. Our Judges and the District Attorney have advised us that as often as is possible to issue a summons in lieu of booking someone into the detention center. Those receiving a summons are given a mandatory court date where they must appear before the Judge on their charges. This has been our practice for the past six weeks during the COVID-19 crisis,” says Sheriff J. Austin Daniel.
Boeker had been employed at Angola since September 4, 2001.