Mayor Crow and Town of Farmerville sued

Mayor John Crow and the Town of Farmerville (TOF) have been sued for damages sustained by Sheena Meeking when “TOF Mayor 1” vehicle operated by Mayor Crow crashed into her bedroom. The suit alleges that on the night of December 12, 2023, Mayor Crow was operating a town vehicle, in the course and scope of his duties as mayor for the TOF, when he lost control of the vehicle, and it crashed into the home of Meeking causing serious bodily injury to Meeking.
The suit was filed under Docket Number 51,714, Third District Court, Union Parish. Meekin’s attorney is listed as Ryan T. Lloyd of Monroe, Louisiana.
The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office (UPSO) investigative report stated: “On December 12, 2023, at 1933 hrs., I, Sgt. Mark Kemp, was dispatched to 607 Maple Street, Farmerville, in reference to a vehicle that had hit the residence, causing significant damage to the residence as well as an injury to one of its occupants. Upon arrival, I contacted the driver of the vehicle, John Crow (W/M), who advised he had stopped across the street at 605 Maple Street in order to deliver cookies for Christmas. Crow stated he exited his vehicle, a 2015 Ford Explorer, bearing Louisiana Specialty Plate “MAYOR 1 “, and forgot to place the vehicle in park. The driveway at 605 Maple, being on a steep incline, caused the vehicle to begin rolling backwards. Crow stated he tried to stop the vehicle but was unable to do so. The vehicle crossed over Maple Street and entered the front yard of 607 Maple where there was a sharp decline and struck the front left (north) end of the residence, which was an exterior bedroom wall. The impact of the vehicle sent a large portion of the wall into the room where one of the residents, identified as Sheena Meeking (B/F) was lying in bed. Sheena was thrown from her bed onto the floor and sustained injuries to her leg and hand. Meeking’s husband, identified as Rashad Meeking (B/M) stated he had just gotten up from bed when the incident occurred and was not injured. Rashad stated Sheena was pinned between the bed and the interior wall opposite the exterior wall. Pafford Ambulance, already on the scene with Sheena upon my arrival, transported Sheena to St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe. Crow’s vehicle also sustained significant exterior damage as well as damage to the undercarriage but was able to be driven to the nearby City of Farmerville office. No impairment was observed or suspected, however, in accordance with the City of Farmerville policy related to accidents involving city vehicles, Crow went to Union General Hospital so that a drug test could be administered.”
The Gazette requested a copy of all laboratory results for tests administered. Neither the UPSO, Farmerville Police Department (FPD) nor the town would release a copy of any such report. UPSO responded that the report was not part of its official file. The FPD did not respond to the request. The Town of Farmerville refused to produce the report claiming it was not a public record and was part of ongoing litigation, thus exempt from disclosure.
Although the crash happened within the town limits, for some reason, the UPSO, not the FPD, investigated the event. Apparently, no charges were filed nor citations issued to the mayor.