Caddo Deputy Indicted For The Death Of A Man In Custody

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The Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office has announced the indictment of a Caddo Parish Sheriff's Deputy.

According to a release from the District Attorney's Office, Caddo Parish Sheriff Deputy Ryan Chapman has been indicted by a grand jury on one count of Malfeasance In Office for his involvement in the death of a man who was in police custody. The District Attorney's Office says the charge comes from a March 18th, 2021 incident that Deputy Chapman was involved with.

On March 18th, Chapman and other officials went to a property on Pecan Road to execute a search warrant. During their operation, an individual separate from the suspect the warrant was issued for, ended up in custody. 68-year-old William Walls was handcuffed and placed into the back of a police cruiser, where he was left alone.

After an undisclosed amount of time, Walls was discovered in distress in the cruiser. He was rushed to Willis-Knighton, where Walls ultimately died.

The charges Chapman faces, one count of Malfeasance In Office, is a felony that comes with a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000. Chapman was booked into jail, and posted a bond. His bond was set at $7,500.

According to the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office, the same grandy jury that indicted Chapman heard another case of an in-custody death in Caddo Parish. The grand jury did not indict anyone for the death of a man who was in custody at the Caddo Correctional Center in March of 2021.