APSO responds to protest in death of inmate

The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office was under fire on Friday, December 29 after a protest and press conference organized by a family of an inmate who died in custody was held outside the DC-1 jail in Marksville.
During the press conference, family members of Jerome Stevenson, 26, gathered with leaders of the NAACP and Civil Rights attorneys calling for Avoyelles Parish Sheriff David Dauzat to respond after the death of Stevenson while he was in the parish jail.
Among the speakers at the protest was Dr. Monica Fabre, a family spokesman, who said, "he was beaten to death. He was hit over and over and over until his liver was lacerated, his eyes bulged out of his body. His body was deformed and the connectors to his brain separated and no one advised his loved ones. How can a system be so heartless as to not inform parents about the death of their child?"
During the press conference, friends and family members wore t-shirts and held printed flyers with Stevenson's photos while in the hospital.
Stevenson died on November 6 as a result of injuries sustained while in custody in during a violent conflict with another inmate on Nov. 4.
The following is a response from APSO over the incident: On the evening of Saturday, November 4, 2023, the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office DC-1 Jail Facility in Marksville reported an offender-on-offender crime of violence. An Ambulance was requested. Acadian Ambulance Service responded to APSO DC-1, they administered an emergency medical evaluation and treatment of a 26-year-old offender, Jerome Stevenson, and then transported him to the Avoyelles Hospital in Marksville, Louisiana. Stevenson was later transferred to the Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, LA.
On November 6, 2023, Stevenson succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
On November 8, 2023, the Autopsy of Jerome Stevenson was conducted at Parish Forensics in Broussard, LA.
As of today, we have not received a copy of the official Autopsy Report from the Coroner’s Office.
From the beginning we have been in communication with the Louisiana State Police on this in-custody death investigation APSO is conducting.
There were surveillance cameras in the area where the incident occurred at APSO DC-1.
Please remember this is an active ongoing investigation. At the conclusion of our investigation, we will take law enforcement action. There will be justice and accountability.
We do not tolerate crimes of violence committed in our jail facilities. We have made several arrests in the past, of offenders and even employees that committed crimes of violence and/or excessive force, and sent the case files to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Sheriff David L. Dauzat wants the People of Avoyelles to know that we take our oath of office seriously. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. The public has entrusted us to perform our duties in a lawful manner with honesty and integrity. We will continue to do so.