Check Out the List of Inmates Waiting for Trial in Caddo

Why is the judicial pipeline so slow in Caddo Parish? There are several issues, but the Covid pandemic is the one most mentioned by the folks on the legal front.

Caddo Parish has suspended jury trials until at least March.
KTBS reports 42 jury sessions were delayed over the past two years because of Covid and other delays were the result of judges, witnesses, attorneys and others involved getting the virus or being placed in quarantine because of Covid.

The report shows the loss of jury sessions by court order resulted in 210 unused court days.

But Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator says the legal delays in Caddo Parish go back well before the Covid pandemic and everyone must work together to speed things up. He says we can have other large scale events like Mardi Gras and Super Bowls, but not jury trials. The sheriff says the inmates know they face repeated delays and this is often frustrating for them and it does lead to more problems at the Caddo Correctional Center. Just this past weekend, two of his deputies were attacked by an inmate.

Sheriff Prator says the number of inmates awaiting trial at CCC has grown to 1,079 surpassing the total capacity of the jail which was designed to house 1,070 inmates. The Sheriff says many of those inmates have been in jail for more than two years awaiting trial.

KEEL News has received a list of the 10 inmates who have been sitting in jail for the longest time awaiting trial.

This list does not include 34-year-old Dewayne Willie Watkins who is accused of killing Kelly Jose and his wife, Heather Jose in November of 2018 after kidnapping them as they were leaving Mall St. Vincent. Records show Watkins has a lengthy criminal record and many say he should never have been on the streets.

Watkins has served time for sexual misconduct with a 10-year-old girl. He’s also been arrested seven times for domestic abuse. He pled guilty to possessing cocaine. He’s been locked up for burglary, possessing a stolen handgun and he’s also been arrested for trying to break into an ATM.