Jailer's arrests brings to three number of felony cases involving officers

The arrest of a jailer this month brings to three the number of Eunice Police Department employees on the St. Landry Parish felony court docket.
Additionally, a fireman and a former fireman also have charges pending.
Corrections Officer Jessica Sonnier was charged Jan. 16 with malfeasance and other charges related to allegedly distributing narcotics to two female inmates.
Chief Randy Fontenot, who took office on Jan. 1, put her on administrative leave pending further internal investigation.
If she remains on leave until her case is resolved she will be off work some time, based on the record in other pending cases.
Officers Talya Fruge and Jade Weaer were arrested on April 22 of last year and charged with malfeasance on the basis of an affidavit by then-Chief Ronald Dies after allegedly standing by and watching as another officer was badly beaten while attempting to arrest a subject.
They went before a district judge the next day for lineup and bail-setting and have not been back to court in the nine months since, according to case minute records through Jan. 22.
Dies recommended to the City Council that the officers be fired. The council in May terminated Fruge but chose to retain Weaver.
In July, the Fire & Police Civil Service Board said Fruge’s police officer’s rights were violated and ordered that she be put back to work.
The city appealed to district court, where Judge Alonzo Harris said the termination was properly done and ordered the civil service board to hold a hearing at which both Fruge and Dies could make their case.
The civil service panel instead appealed to the Third Circuit Court, where the matter now rests.
Fruge has not worked as an officer since April.
Weaver completed police academy training. While there she was injured and while recovering has been working as an interim communications officer.
The cases involving the fireman and the ex-fireman, who are brothers, have been in the prosecutor’s file since July 2013.
Garrett Daville and Ryan Daville allegedly severely beat a man they thought was breaking into their vehicle one night when they were off duty.
They allegedly chased David Frank from an alley near the fire station to a lot adjacent to the police station, where they allegedly severely beat him and threatened him with a handgun.
Garrett is charged with 2nd degree battery and aggravated assault with a firearm; Ryan with 2nd degree battery and principal to aggravated assault.
Ryan has since left the department for private employment; Garrett is a captain.
Court minutes reflect process servers have been unable to serve court notice on the brothers, facing re-setting of December appearances. Neither case was before a judge for 18 months (July 2013-Dec. 2014).
Apparently process servers were not aware of where either brother or next of kin could be located.
Garrett is one of the captains who serves as acting chief on his shift, in the absence of a chief.
The City Council fired Chief Mike Arnold earlier this month, after Mayor Rusty Moody recommended it.
The basis of the recommendation was aired behind closed doors, but presumably was rooted in the misdemeanor assault charge against Arnold, who allegedly patted a female volunteer firefighter on the buttocks during a public service appearance at an elementary school in November. His case is on a February city court docket.
Asked why the chief, charged with a misdemeanor, was placed on administrative leave and then fired but the captain, charged with a felony, was never disciplined, the mayor said his understanding is that no action was initiated involving Daville because he was off duty at the time.
In July 2013, then-Chief Arnold told The Eunice News he was aware of allegations concerning an off-duty incident but that no disciplinary issues were involved since nothing happened while the firefighters were on duty.