The stabbing death of a prisoner at the Catahoula Correctional Center in Harrisonburg on Nov. 10 apparently was an “inside hit job,” an incident that officials have attempted to keep from the public, according to two sources who spoke with LouisianaVoice.
The victim even warned center officials that he would be killed if he were placed in the inmate housing unit but his pleas went unheeded and he was subsequently attacked by as many as eight other inmates.
Montrell Rogers was described by one source as a state prisoner who told correctional center officials that he had enemies in the assigned dorm but that he was forced into the unit anyway.
Harrisonburg attorney Paul Lemke said the facility has been plagued with problems for a number of years, the latest of which was the “inside hit job” on Rogers, who he said he understood had been transferred to Catahoula from East Carroll Parish.
“He (Rogers) had made somebody mad and they were waiting for him,” he said. “The Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC) moves prisoners around in efforts to ‘lose’ them, or hide them from their attorneys and their families. And with prisoners being moved around like that, word travels from facility to facility and the word gets out” through the prison grapevine.
The other source who contacted LouisianaVoice described Rogers as a personal friend and called his death “a brutal murder.”
That person, whose identity is being withheld out of concerns for his safety, said Rogers was stabbed “by multiple inmates” and that the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Department has so far kept the incident from the news media. “The warden, Pat Book, runs a terrible prison operation,” he said. “He (Book) was allegedly under investigation years ago for cracking he skull of an inmate in his office during a used of force incident.” He said at the time of that incident, one of Book’s family members, Ronnie Book, was sheriff.
Ronnie Book was first elected sheriff of Catahoula Parish with 89 percent of the vote in October 1999.
Lemke said he had represented the inmate who was injured by Pat Book whom he identified as Anthony Day. “He was another of those who was moved around by DOC. He was brought in from Iberia Parish. He was one of those who the Iberia Parish sheriff at the time (Louis Ackal) had turned dogs loose on in the jail.”
Lemke in March 2003 filed an ethics complaint against Sheriff Ronnie Book, claiming that Pat Book, while employed at the correctional facility, was simultaneously part owner of B&B Commissary which supplied the jail with snacks, drinks, and toiletries from July 2001 to Jan. 31, 2003. That, Lemke claimed, was a conflict of interests and the Ethics Commission levied a fine of about $5,000 against the Books.
B&B Commissary, which was chartered in June 2001, one month before it began operating the commissary, is no longer in business, according to corporate records of the Louisiana Secretary of State which indicate the corporation was dissolved in May 2003, two months after Lemke filed his ethics complaint.
Lemke said that prior to awarding the contract to Pat Book and B&B (the other “B” in the name was for H. Layne Book, also listed, along with Pat Book, as a director of the company), Sheriff Ronnie Book contacted a prison commissary vendor in Arkansas to ask that they submit a bid with elevated prices “for appearances sake” for when the contract was awarded to B&B.
Lemke said the Catahoula Correctional Center was once run by private prison operator LaSalle Corrections of Ruston and that Pat Book was a LaSalle employee at that time. He said Book was also once a member of the LaSalle board of directors but LouisianaVoice was unable to confirm that.
He said the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office took over operation of the corrections center several years back. “It’s been a real mess out there,” he said. “They’ve gone nuts.” He said DOC and Louisiana State Police have had to intervene “a couple of times.”
Lemke said he does not expect charges to be filed against all of those involved in the Rogers death. “It’ll probably come down to a single person being charged because no one is going to talk to investigators,” he said.
Louisiana Voice 
I feel like these third-world rural prisons are an area where the governor has a lot of authority and should be doing a hell of a lot more to improve. Very discouraging.
Catahoula Correctional Center is operated by the parish sheriff. The governor (nor the legislature or the state Department of Corrections) has no authority over a parish -run facility. The only way anything will change is if families of inmates bring lawsuits or convince groups like the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, etc., to do so, and to make enough noise about criminal abuse that the State Police will investigate and bring charges. The sheriff surely won’t charge his own employees. Yes, this is very discouraging. And shameful.
This Pat Book fella is a head authority figure and is employed by Concordia Sheriff Office as well . . He is the lead authority over Concordia Parish Correctional Center too! Concordia Correctional Center and the Head Warden there reports directly to Pat Book. This place is in very bad shape too and there is alot of stabbings and beatings the same way! Pat Book has told many lies to Sheriff David Hedricks to keep him from knowing the real occurrences that happen at Concordia on a daily basis. The occurrences are multiple offenders on one beatings; stabbings, big rank officials working at Concordia introducing contraband to offenders for monetary gain. I am told the major and the captain at Concordia are allegedly the main ones and that Pat Book gets a kickback. The female staff members there are allegedly having sexual relations with inmates there; they supposedly have an area near the maintenance department (called whites area only) where state prisoners go to have sex with their Caucasian visitors. This prison is located on highway 15 in Ferriday, La. Sheriff Hedricks really needs to investigate this place or it’s gonna cost him in the long run. Pat Book needs to be banned from working in any prison. If someone investigates these allegations the findings would be accurate to what I am saying. Pat Book came straight out of the oilfield as a worker in 1997 and was placed directly into a leading authority position at Catahoula Correctional Center by then Sheriff Ronnie Book, who is his cousin. Even though Pat Book had no corrections experience at the time he was placed at the top of the Employee ranking structure. My god someone please investigate.
The department of corrections has all the authority over this correctional center because they are holding state prisoner that DPS&C pay a daily per diem per head on each offender for housing these state prisoners to the sheriff office. Also, the department of corrections is the main source that comes to the facility to do a yearly inspection. I may include the department of corrections has a jail monitor ( state employee ) who conducts these yearly inspections. This jail monitor receives a monthly activity report from the assigned catahoula correctional center warden which shows every unusual occurrence report submitted by the staff for aggravated fights, contraband findings, stabbings which is considered a significant injury etcetera. Also for the rule violations the offenders that receive disciplinary reports for the violations goes to the state (doc) regional court to have good time taken. The state has a lot of control and authority over this correctional center so don’t believe the BS like they don’t. The state ( department of corrections) has the power to shut this place down completely. The secretary of corrections could step in if he wanted to . Plus the state jail monitor for catahoula correctional center that is stationed in Pineville, La. should be held accountable as well for not dealing with Mr Pat Book on these issues.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
A majority of American jails and prisons in all 50 states (whether publicly or privately owned and operated) are terrible, frightening places where little is done to rehabilitate offenders and a lot is purposely done to dehumanize and brutalize them. Legally mandated health care and decent food sufficient to fill an adult’s belly are almost non-existent. The on-line publication ProPublica has run numerous well-investigated and documented stories about the abuses inside American prisons. But to our eternal shame, the average person is oblivious and unconcerned about this outrage – until one of their own is incarcerated and mistreated, starved or beaten.
Courts throughout the country have ordered better treatment after lawsuits detailing abuses, but the reforms are often fleeting. Until we, as a nation, demand decent, humane treatment of those who are incarcerated, nothing will change. People who are incarcerated are still human beings and should be treated humanely.
We have a relative who is a resident of a minimum security prison in another state. We keep in close contact to ensure that prison officials know he has people who are looking out for him. We send monthly food packages purchased at inflated prices from the only approved vendor, and we put money in his commissary account so he can buy other food items and hygiene products in the prison commissary (also at inflated prices), or he would be hungry and smelly all the time. He described one evening meal as consisting of two hot dogs, one slice of bread and a half cup (measured) of beans. He worked in the kitchen for a period of time, preparing meals, which are generally poor quality and never enough. A majority of inmates do not have people on the outside who send money, visit, or even accept phone calls.
He and the other offenders are not being mistreated, but there are scant educational services for re-entry or other rehabilitative or medical services. And that’s at a good prison for low-risk prisoners.
Matthew 25:36 – among the groups to whom Jesus tells us we should show mercy: “I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
As a nation, we have a lot to answer for.
thank you Earthmother! ron thompson