A former East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputy who allegedly struck a parish prison inmate with a chair a year ago is the target of a lawsuit filed by his accuser.
Aaron Johnson is accused of hitting inmate Joshua Smith with a chair in the parish prison during a fight involving another deputy in March 2023, the Sheriff's Office has reported.
Johnson had been employed as a prison deputy since April 2022. He was subsequently charged with malfeasance in office and aggravated second-degree battery. The Sheriff's Office fired him.
Johnson has pleaded not guilty. He is set to appear in court for a motion hearing on Tuesday.
Smith filed the lawsuit this week in the Middle District of Louisiana against Johnson, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Sid Gautreaux.
The lawsuit states Johnson "smashed [Smith] in the face with a metal folding chair." As a result, Smith suffered multiple injuries that required immediate medical attention, according to the lawsuit.
According to arrest documents, two witnesses said they saw Johnson holding the chair back, and a third witness said he saw Johnson hit Smith in the face with the chair.
Johnson denied hitting Smith and said he did not know how the inmate sustained his injuries, arrest documents say.
Smith's attorney was not immediately available for comment. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the lawsuit.