ZACHARY — The Zachary Police Department is once again under scrutiny as one of its detectives is named in a federal lawsuit alleging false arrest and other civil rights violations against and East Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputy.

Filed in federal court on May 21, 2025, the lawsuit accuses Detective Justin Minor of intentionally or recklessly omitting crucial information from an arrest warrant, omissions that plaintiff Jorge Rice, a deputy with the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office, says led to his wrongful arrest.

According to the suit, Rice and his wife, Danielle Rice, were in the midst of a divorce and child custody dispute during the summer of 2024 when it was reported that their child had been “victimized” by another child, a nine-year-old. Danielle Rice claimed her husband failed to report the incident. However, under Louisiana law, a child under the age of 10 is exempt from criminal responsibility, meaning no crime had occurred.

Despite this, Detective Minor reportedly obtained an arrest warrant for Jorge Rice, accusing him of failing to report the commission of certain felonies and of malfeasance in office.

At the time, Rice was working full-time as a deputy and part-time as a Central Police Department officer.

The lawsuit claims Minor referred to the nine-year-old as a “juvenile” in the arrest documents, which under Louisiana law typically refers to someone aged 10 to 17, a categorization that falsely suggested the child could be criminally liable.

“Problematic” investigation?

Louisiana law clearly states that children under the age of 10 cannot be held criminally responsible. The suit argues that Minor was aware of this and knowingly misrepresented the child’s legal status in the affidavit for arrest.

“An officer who intentionally or recklessly fails to provide accurate information to the court, especially when he knows he’s doing so, is incredibly problematic,” said Rice’s attorney, Kearney Loughlin. “We believe that Detective Minor knew exactly what he was doing.”

Rice was arrested on June 27, 2024, and booked into jail on two charges.

By November, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore had reportedly reviewed the case and met with Detective Minor and Zachary Police Chief Darryl Lawrence, informing them that he would not pursue charges against Rice. Moore also met with Sheriff Jeff Travis and Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran to inform them of his decision.

Both agencies reinstated Rice shortly after.

Conflict of interest?

“When those charges were brought against him, we put Deputy Rice on administrative leave with pay, and he did not work until the district attorney dropped all the charges,” Sheriff Travis told UWK. “When the district attorney informed me that he had dropped the charges, we brought him back to work.”

The lawsuit also points to a possible conflict of interest: Danielle Rice, who made the complaint, was not only Jorge Rice’s estranged wife but also an employee of the Zachary Police Department at the time.

“While Detective Minor’s arrest warrant alleges that they offered to turn the case over to the Sheriff’s Office (who refused), why stop there? Did they ask the State Police to investigate, or another agency? It appears that they didn’t,” Loughlin said. “It’s these types of conflicts that the public despises, and innocent people like Jorge suffer because of. There must be accountability here.”

“Nobody’s guilty until they’re proven guilty”

The lawsuit further alleges that neither Minor nor any other Zachary Police officer pursued an investigation into the nine-year-old, evidence, according to Loughlin, that they knew the child couldn’t be charged.

“If Detective Minor really believed that the child committed a crime, the one he said Jorge failed to report, why hasn’t the child been arrested? We believe it’s because Minor understands the nine-year-old can’t be charged, and that proves he knew what he was accusing Jorge of was bogus”, Loughlin alleged.

Sheriff Travis echoed that sentiment.

“Nobody’s guilty until they’re proven guilty. Although we made the right precautions to put him on leave, it’s obvious that he wasn’t guilty, or the DA would have chosen to prosecute him, and (the DA) didn’t do it,” Travis said. “He’s been a good deputy. We haven’t had any problems with him. He’s done a great job for us, and that’s what it really comes down to.”

UWK reached out to Zachary Police Chief Darrly Lawrence, but Zachary PD’s Public Information Officer said the department was unable to comment on cases in ongoing litigation. The PIO added that ZPD has not received anything related to this lawsuit. 

Department policy also prevents Minor from speaking to the media, which is why UWK did not reach out to him for comment.

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