Bossier Police Jury member accused of sexual assault; denies allegations

Bossier Parish Police Jury member Rick Avery was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and stealing valuable items from a former girlfriend during a Mardi Gras celebration in January in Washington, D.C.

Avery's accuser, a Shreveport woman with whom he says he had a five-year romantic relationship, was granted a protective order by a Caddo Parish district court judge in late February, according to court filings.

Avery, 59, denied the thefts and sexually assaulting the woman. He faces no criminal charges in D.C. or in Bossier or Caddo parishes, according to court clerks and records.

He said the police jury is aware of the allegations.

The woman, 55, who filed the report did not return a phone call Friday seeking comment.

Avery, Bossier Parish Police Jury representative for District 6, was arrested Jan. 26 for first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree theft at the Hilton Washington, according to an incident report from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department. 

That date falls during the dates of the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians' Washington Mardi Gras — a popular gathering featuring a who's who of Louisiana politicians and their constituents. Avery was one of at least three Bossier police jury members who attended the event for business purposes, he said.

The D.C. arrest report does not name Avery, and it identifies the accuser only by initials. However, the woman attached the report to her request in Caddo Parish District Court for a protective order.

According to the D.C. police report, the encounter that prompted the arrest occurred just before 1 a.m. Jan. 26 in the hotel. Avery allegedly pushed the woman to the floor and penetrated her with his fingers. The woman left and police were contacted.

The woman told police that when she returned, a $25,000 Cartier watch, a $10,000 diamond bracelet, a $1,000 sapphire and $90 in cash were missing. Avery was arrested at the scene, police said.

A medical exam of the woman was conducted three days later, on Jan. 29, at the Medical University in South Carolina, according to Caddo Parish court records. The woman had a swollen bruise on her left thigh and multiple other bruises, according to the exam.

The woman said in a statement accompanying her request for a protective order that federal prosecutors in Washington advised her to seek the order after her return to Shreveport. Under past incidents, the woman wrote: "numerous."

"Rick Avery has continued to attempt to contact me even though I said I wished no contact after what he did to me in DC," she wrote. "He has threatened to sue me, take me to court and have me arrested."

The woman is identified in her request for a protective order. The Times generally does not identify victims in sexual assault cases without their permission.

Avery denied assaulting the woman and stealing from her. In a telephone interview Friday, he said he never stole from her.

"She didn't mean for that to be charged against me," he said of the thefts.

Avery said the woman's goal in requesting the protective order was to ruin his character.

"While in Washington . . . she made claims to the authorities which resulted in my arrest," he said. "However, the claims were dismissed by the federal prosecutor in less than 24 hours. I was released, and the case was dismissed.  I did not have to post bond and there is no case pending against me of any type."

Avery faces no charges in the District of Columbia, according to court clerks and a search of court records. Avery also faces no criminal charges in Caddo or Bossier parishes, according to clerk of court records.

The U.S. Attorney's Office did not file charges in this matter, according to public information officer Bill Miller.

"The U.S. Attorney’s Office typically does not comment on charging decisions and has no further comment," Miller said in an email.

When asked about the medical exam that showed bruises on the woman, Avery said he noticed bruises on her and asked about them before the alleged encounter.

A Caddo Parish judge granted the woman's request for a protective order Feb. 28, to remain in effect until late August 2019, according to court documents. Avery said he was fine with the court's ruling.

"I don't want to see her anyway," he said.

Avery has dealt with criminal issues in the past. He was arrested for drunken driving in 2016. He apologized to the police jury and said the arrest stemmed from mixing alcohol with prescription medication. He threatened the jobs of officers on the scene and made a racial slur, according to video of the arrest.

"This is a vendetta against me," he said of the recent allegations. "This is garbage. It's not worth reporting in my book."