According to legal documents obtained by the Winn Parish Journal, the heirs of Winn Parish Sheriff’s office employee John L. Kerry have filed a lawsuit naming Cranford Jordan and the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office as defendants.
According to the documents filed on July 27, 2021, the heirs of Mr. Kerry, Kimberly M. Bruce, Shani L. Fallis and Michael B. Slayter are suing Cranford Jordan and the Winn Parish Sheriff’s office for “Negligent Security.”
Negligent Security-The Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Cranford Jordan failed to provide proper security for employees and to the public who visit the Winn Parish Sheriffs Office Rifle Range located at 633 Old Alexandria Road Winnfield, LA 71483. John Kerry, who was employed by the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office, was assaulted on 7-6-2020 at the location while on the job, and the security cameras at the facility were reportedly not working at the time of the incident. Mr. Kerry passed away from the injuries sustained from the incident on 8-21-2020. Had the cameras been working properly, proper identification of the assailant could have been obtained.
In response to the lawsuit, the Defendants filed documents claiming “The WPSO is not a juridical person capable of suing, being sued, or standing in judgment under Louisiana law.”
On August 18, 2021, 8th Judicial Court Judge Anastasia Wiley filed an Order of Recusal recusing herself from the case. As a result, ad hoc Judge Don C. Burns has been assigned to preside over the matter.
The court will address the issue of No Cause of Action and Vagueness Exception filed by the Defendants in court on October 22, 2021, at 9:30 AM in Winn Parish.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Court documents for the case are below.
