Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal Wants Trial Moved To Lafayette (UPDATED)

Update: Another request from Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal, except this one has to do with the location of his federal civil rights trial. He and his co-defendants, Gerald Savoy and Mark Frederick, are asking the court to move the trial from Shreveport to Lafayette, according to our news partners at KATC.

Defense attorneys say, with their clients and themselves located in south Louisiana, it makes having a trial in Shreveport too much of a burden on them. Sheriff Ackal is facing federal conspiracy charges after it is alleged that he directed officers to assault inmates in the parish jail’s chapel, where no surveillance cameras would record the beatings.

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Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal will not be allowed to carry a gun while awaiting trial on charges stemming from the assault of prisoners at the Iberia Parish jail.

Earlier today, U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna denied Ackal's request to carry a firearm following the release of recorded threats he made against prosecutors in the case against him.

Our news partner, KATC, reported Hanna said, "this court cannot just turn a blind eye to those kinds of statements".

Following his indictment, Ackal had requested the right to carry a firearm because, his attorney said, recent killings of police validate his right to carry a gun for self defense.

The judge also called for new restrictions to be added, including he cannot violate any state or local law, he cannot carry a new firearm, he cannot contact witnesses and has to check in with court officers, all while on supervised release.