Pubdate: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 Source: Daily Comet (LA) Copyright: 2001 Comet-Press Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://dailycomet.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1505 Note: Letter writers must provide phone number for verification Author: Crystal Bonvillian MAN GETS $125,000 IN SETTLEMENT A Thibodaux man who accused the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office and the Thibodaux Police Department of excessive force in a May 1998 arrest has been awarded a total of $125,000 in an out-of-court settlement. Preston Perez's federal lawsuit was scheduled to go to court last week, but instead was settled Aug. 6 after several hours of mediation. Lane Roy, lawyer for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday the department's portion of the settlement was $110,000. When asked if he thought the case would have gone his way in the courtroom, Roy seemed confident. "One never knows," he said, "but I thought we had a strong case, and an excellent chance of winning." Despite that, the case never saw the inside of the courtroom. "(We settled for) a whole lot of reasons," Roy said, "but not reasons I would ever discuss with people other than my clients." Those clients included Sheriff Craig Webre and two deputies for the parish, Josh Champagne and Jason Terry. Champagne is now a detective with the department's Drug Task Force and Terry, a detective with the Thibodaux Police Department's Bureau of Narcotics. According to police reports from May 11, 1998, the men, along with former Thibodaux narcotics agent Troy Barrilleaux, were working a shift in Thibodaux when they claim they saw Perez and two other men participating in a drug deal. As they pulled into the parking lot at the Aquarius Lounge and tried to arrest the men, the agents said, Perez jumped in his truck to escape. The officers claimed Perez tried repeatedly to hit Terry, pinning him between the truck and another car. They said that was when Terry shot at Perez, hitting him in the back of the head. Perez, who suffered brain damage and partial loss of vision, said the officers had no reason to shoot him. In interviews from jail, where he is finishing a sentence for aggravated assault, Perez claimed evidence at the scene did not corroborate the police's story. Perez's lawyer, Larry Boudreaux, indicated the same, but said he preferred not to go into specifics until the case is completely settled. The city of Thibodaux settled their portion of the case for $15,000. Camille Morvant II, who represented the city and police department, said he was ready to proceed to court, but that recent developments in the department made him think twice. Barrilleaux was fired as head of the Bureau of Narcotics June 11, after Thibodaux Police Chief Craig Melancon found evidence alleging Barrileaux had been stealing funds from the department. He was subsequently charged with malfeasance and theft. The case is pending. Peggy Mokhtarnejad with the Thibodaux Finance Department said the entire $15,000 had to be paid by the city itself, since the amount did not exceed the insurance deductible of $50,000. The money was paid sometime this week, she said. Webre, who said the Sheriff's Office would have to pay a $25,000 deductible, called the decision to settle a "distasteful and repulsive financial" one. He said his department was not consulted before the decision was made. "The insurance company settled," Webre said. "They (saw) it as a business decision. Looking at the economic part of it takes justice and pitches it out the window. In terms of the amount of the settlement, if you look at the standpoint of the injury, ($110,000) isn't a large amount. If you look at it from the standpoint of the conduct, trying to murder a police officer and participating in criminal conduct, he shouldn't have been paid a penny." Melancon said he did not have much to say about the case. "I left it in the hands of the city attorney and trusted that he would make the best decision for the welfare of the city," Melancon said. "I concur with that decision." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth