Police officers say any results of clash were plaintiff's fault

Cite his alleged failures in responding to suit

Posted June 22nd, 2009

Three Eunice policemen deny all allegations of abuse by a man who sued them over an incident at the city youth recreation complex.
Donnie Thibodeax, Scott Rozas and Mike Perry say any alleged results of a clash between them and Brent Fontenot were the plaintiff’s fault.
In a suit filed earlier this year, Fontenot claims pain, suffering, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation as a result of what he alleges was excessive force, assault and battery by the defendants.
The trio of officers filed their response through attorney John F. Wilkes, III of Lafayette.
They assert the actions of March 1, 2008, were caused by Fontenot:
Failing to do what should have been done;
Failing to see what should have been seen;
Failing to act as a reasonable person under the circumstances;
Failing to exercise due care for his own safety;
Failing to follow lawful police orders.
Failing to submit to lawful detention or arrest.
Fontenot alleges that while arguing with another man he was slapped by Thibodeaux, who was not in uniform, and grabbed in a headlock.
Fontenot says he fell to the ground and that Thibodeaux said he was under arrest for assaulting an officer. He claims Thibodeaux still had not identified himself as an officer.
Shortly, uniformed officers arrived and Rozas and Perry, the suit alleges, approached the plaintiff from behind and began pulling him down. Once on the ground, the plaintiff claims, Rozas and Perry sprayed him with pepper spray.
Fontenot asserts he had had neck surgery just before the incident and as a result of what he claims was excessive force he began having severe muscle spasms.
District Judge Donald Hebert has yet to schedule a hearing or trial date for the suit.

On June 28th, 2009 JerziTransplant17 said:

Failing to see what should have been seen?
Failing to exercise due care for his own safety?
LOL!!! Are you kidding me? Who invented these? A blind deaf and mute monkey?
That is the absolute most ridiculous statements I've ever heard in my Lifetime!! Did this Lawyer get his degree out of a gumball machine? Hell if that's their reasoning then the poor man is innocent of any wrong reactions since he did not have his crystal ball to tell him "what he should have seen"!! Mamaroux, how I pray that the worm will turn, and I hope that worm has long deep fangs!!!

On June 28th, 2009 mamaroux said:

Indeed it does sir. Long, deep fangs, and it will start from the "top" and work itself all the way down.

On June 27th, 2009 JerziTransplant17 said:

The Eunice Police Dept. is Probably one the Most corrupt entities this side of the Mississippi!! Take a look at the history of allegations of excessive force, false arrest and intimidation tactics. If it weren't that the City of Eunice weren't such a sore and useless occupation of good land I would expect an Internal investigation that would expose these uneducated, untrained imbeciles. The United States Government and FBI should descend upon them like a swarm of bees and unwind this web of corrupt Maniacs with a badge, and send them all to prison where they belong and release the approximate 40% of innocent indivduals they have locked up now to make room for these Jokes of the justice system!!

On June 27th, 2009 mamaroux said:

All in good time JT...all in good time.
You are correct in your description of of the EPD.
The guilty ones are sure to never merit an internal investigation. The innocent ones who are not part of the dysfunctional clique not only merit it, they get it in spades.
However, the worm will indeed turn...stay tuned.

On June 27th, 2009 POOYIE said:

Poor Mr. Fontenot. One can, in light of his actions, quickly deduce that Mr. Fontenot must be a Moron or an Imbecile and should be afforded a certain degree of lattitude. After all, what MORON refuses to follow the commands of police officers? What IMBECILE attempts to fight the police? These men and women in uniform risk all for little. Anyone who cannot simply do as he is told gets what he deserves. In fact, I digress, such a person is an insult to morons and imbeciles everywhere. This should be thrown out of court with cost of court and lost time wages of the officers involved made payable by Mr. Fontenot.

On June 27th, 2009 mamaroux said:

Wait a minute--------------is Mr. Fontenot kin to the Goose???? Anyway, I too digress.
I say get 'em Mr. Fontenot. Get 'em and bring 'em down.
They all have it coming to them. Bunch of no good slimy back stabbers.

On June 27th, 2009 free2speak said:

you the moron, when a person comes to you in plain close and starts yelling at you then attacks you for no reason, then when you start to protect yourself the person said they are a police officer but does not show any form of ID to back up what they are saying, what would any person think , O, i know, let me let this person beat the hell out of me because he SAYS after the attack started " i'm a police officer" come on get real, you moron. Whoever you are, a police officer, a spouse, a parent or know the off duty police officer. then when the other uniform officers arrived they also attacked mr. fontenot from behind. mr fontenot never saw them nor did they go around mr fontent to get in front of him to ID them selfs either. it's funny how the saying go's stand by your fellow officer and not the accused no matter if it is right or wrong never go against your own, kind of like the unspoken shooting rule, shoot twice because a dead person doesn't have a side. this case should go to court for all to have justice, no matter who is found right or wrong, each would have had thier day in court, unless the police officers are scared to go and lie in front of god, jury, judge and let the whole town of eunice

On June 27th, 2009 mamaroux said:

Oh believe me, Eunice PD does not stand by it's fellow officers. That is the most dysfunctional excuse for law enforcement that I've ever seen.
I totally believe this guy though, I mean, he's white and can't play the race card.

On June 22nd, 2009 mamaroux said:

They're probably just as guilty/not guilty as any other.