State trooper arrested in connection with brutality investigation

By Wesley Muller
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — The Louisiana State Police has arrested one of its own troopers, the son of the agency’s second-in-command after an investigation into a 2019 incident in Ouachita Parish. Jacob Brown, 30, was booked Thursday and faces charges of aggravated second-degree battery and malfeasance in office.

Brown is the son of State Police Assistant Superintendent and Chief of Staff Bob Brown, according to a report from Baton Rouge’s WBRZ.

The arrest stems from an incident on May 30, 2019 when Brown “engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions” in the arrest of a suspect and “failed to report the use of force to his supervisors,” according to a State Police press release.

It took longer than a year and the filing of a lawsuit before the agency’s internal affairs division launched an inquiry into Brown’s actions. “The investigation began in October of 2020 upon receiving a civil lawsuit alleging excessive force by an unnamed Trooper during an arrest on May 30, 2019,” the press release said.

During the course of the administrative inquiry, information surfaced that led the internal affairs detectives to suspend the administrative inquiry and initiate a criminal investigation, according to the agency.

“Upon learning of the allegations, our department began an immediate investigation into the incident,” State Police Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis said. “The public trust and responsibility bestowed upon us as law enforcement professionals is of the utmost importance. We owe not only the public we serve, but also the dedicated men and women of our department a just and timely response.”

Brown remains on administrative leave pending resolution of the charges and the administrative inquiry.

Louisiana Illuminator (www.lailluminator.com) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianans.

This article originally published in the December 14, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.