Louisiana Voice

Jackson Parish interim Sheriff (and candidate for the full-time job) Brent Barnett must think he is FAJITA, the latest acronym for el Presidente.

FAJITA, we’ve learned, stands for “Forget About Jurisprudence If Trump’s Around” and that appears to be the position that Barnett has taken with a woman named Jeanne Ray.

Ms. Ray, it seems, is the mother of a former Jackson Parish jail employee who is opposing Barnett’s election bid—and, just as with TAMALE (Trump Always Makes America Look Embarrassing), there’s a price to pay for disloyalty.

According to her son, Corey Ray, Jeanne Ray likes to hit the hootch a little too much, as does (again, according to Corey) her brother, Jason Ponder, and when they do, sparks tend to fly since they live in proximity to each other.

So, in their latest dust-up, Ponder, took out a warrant for her arrest but soon changed his mind and attempted (unsuccessfully, it turns out) to have it recalled. Corey said it was commonplace for them to squabble, call the cops and then opt not to pursue charges.

But this time, the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office executed the warrant and last Thursday, she was arrested and taken to what was thought to be an overnight stay in jail.

Not only was it not an overnight visit—she’s still in jail at last check—but she is being held at the Jackson Parish Men’s Jail, a violation of state regulations that require segregation of men and women prisoners not only by sight but by sound, as well.

Moreover, she is being confined to a booking holding cell for more than 23 hours per day with no opportunity for exercise or for showers. Most critically, her son said she is being deprived of her required medications.

“All this is a deviation from standard protocol,” Corey Ray says—and he should know having previously worked at both the Jackson Parish and Lincoln Parish detention centers. “Historically, female detainees in this jurisdiction are transferred to an appropriate women’s facility,” he said. “Keeping her isolated in a male booking facility under these conditions appears to be a deliberate punitive measure.”

That’s because, he said, both he and his brother opposed Barnett prior to last Saturday’s primary election in which Barnett, running more or less as an incumbent since his elevation to interim sheriff after the retirement of former Sheriff Andy Brown, led the five-man field with 47 percent of the vote. Israel Smith was a distant second with 18 percent.

“We have strong reason to believe the timing of the arrest was retaliatory,” said Corey Ray. “My brother and I have been publicly campaigning against the interim sheriff, Brent Barnett. Hours prior to my mother’s arrest on May 14, I posted statements on social media alleging unethical behavior within the department (as well as reposting LouisianaVoice stories). Furthermore, the arresting officer noted she had seen my mother at her workplace multiple times prior to that day but chose not to act on the warrant until immediately after my public posts. Since the arrest, my family has faced targeted harassment, threats of violence from individuals associated with the interim sheriff, and the unauthorized public release of a sealed juvenile record involving my brother.”

“We believe these conditions violate her Fourteenth Amendment rights regarding the treatment of pretrial detainees, specifically the deliberate indifference to serious medical needs and the imposition of conditions that amount to punishment before trial,” he said.

​“My mother is under extreme psychological distress due to this prolonged isolation and lack of medical care. We are seeking immediate intervention from a civil rights attorney or advocacy group to ensure her safety, medical compliance, and transfer to an appropriate facility.”