In a small, windowless courtroom where bailiffs outnumbered spectators, a judge listened patiently to testimony from psychologists and other witnesses for almost a week, although a resolution to the case before him is a long way off.
The issue before District Judge George Larke is whether the people of Terrebonne Parish should pay money to a woman sexually abused at the age of 14 by a juvenile detention guard whose job was to keep her safe and, if so, how much.
The civil suit against the now-imprisoned guard, Angelo Vickers, and the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government alleges officials should have known Mary Doe – a fictitious name given to protect the victim’s identity – was at risk and that Vickers was improperly supervised.
The case is one component of a scandal that rocked the parish’s juvenile detention center in 2010, resulting in a scathing report from the U.S. Department of Justice. Improper use of isolation cells, lack of supervision and accusations of guards exchanging candy and other favors in return for sex led to indictments and dismissals of staff.
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