LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Sunset Police Chief Luis Padilla pleaded not guilty to a civil rights violation on Tuesday in connection with an alleged incident that occurred last December.
Padilla was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 26, after being indicted by a Lafayette federal grand jury. Hours after being arrested, Padilla appeared in court where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law.
As of 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, Padilla was released from custody. He declined KLFY's request for a comment.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, Padilla is accused of a federal civil rights violation for "willfully using unreasonable force against an individual" during an "investigation and detention" in early December 2023.
"The indictment further alleges that without legal justification, the individual was restrained in handcuffs, and Padilla forcefully twisted the individual’s thumb and wrist in a manner intended to cause pain, which resulted in bodily injury to the individual," the news release read.
If convicted, Padilla faces up to 10 years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.
This report will be updated as information becomes available.
