Official: Deputy acted properly

• By DEBRA LEMOINE
• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Jul 8, 2009 - Page: 5B

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A Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputy acted appropriately in the case where a Walker man in his custody died shortly after a traffic stop, Chief Criminal Deputy Jason Ard said Tuesday.

Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office reviewed the patrol-car video from early Sunday morning showing the deputy pulling over Donel Adam Stogner, 42, for allegedly driving erratically east of Livingston along Interstate 12, a statement from the Sheriff’s Office says.

Stogner allegedly was impaired and resisted arrest, the Sheriff’s Office has said. The deputy could not get Stogner in handcuffs until back-up deputies arrived.

After getting Stogner in custody, deputies noticed he had trouble breathing, and brought him to a Hammond hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Sheriff’s Office has said.

“The Sheriff’s preliminary finding is that the actions of the deputy were reasonable and appropriate,” the statement says.

“The deputy followed department protocol in his efforts to restrain a subject who refused to obey commands and continued to physically resist the deputy’s efforts to restrain the subject.”

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Ard said the deputy did not use a Taser stun gun or a choke hold on Stogner.

Ard said the Sheriff’s Office cannot release the video of the incident because the investigation remains ongoing.

Detectives are interviewing witnesses to the incident, including first-responders and a motorist who called 911 after seeing the deputy struggling with Stogner, the statement says.

Ard said there are no plans at this time to call in another agency to assist with the investigation because the video clearly shows the deputy acting appropriately.

The deputy, who was not placed on leave, will be back on duty the next time he is scheduled, Ard said.

Ard also said he could not release the preliminary cause of death on Stogner because that is part of the Livingston Parish Coroner’s Office investigation. Dr. Ron Coe, the coroner, reiterated Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing and he will not release any information at this time.

“We haven’t come to a conclusion for a cause of death,” Coe said.