LSU football fight goes to grand jury

Jordan Jefferson and Joshua Johns (Source: LSUSports.net)

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The case of the alleged involvement of LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson and linebacker Josh Johns in a fight outside a bar will be presented to a Baton Rouge grand jury Wednesday.

It is expected to be one of the most-anticipated grand jury meetings in East Baton Rouge Parish in recent history.

Former District Attorney Doug Moreau knows plenty about how to deal with a grand jury. He said the benefit of a grand jury proceeding is it puts witnesses under the pressure of perjury when they testify.

The Baton Rouge Police Department charged Jefferson and Johns with second-degree battery following a fight outside Shady's Bar near LSU's campus. Second-degree battery is a felony and extremely tough to convict.

"The specific requirements require proof of specific intent," said Moreau explained. "So, trying to get into the mind of the defendant, which is sometimes hard to do, in a situation like this particularly. It's not alleged that anybody sat at home and conspired and gathered a gang up for the purpose of committing serious bodily harm."

The grand jury will have the option to return a lesser charge against the two men. Moreau said this case is a recipe for simple battery, which is a misdemeanor.

Jefferson's problems aren't confined to the justice system. K.C. White, Ed.D, is LSU's Dean of Students. She is the disciplinarian of the entire LSU student body.

By federal law, she is prohibited from speaking specifically about any one particular student, but she can talk about general policy and the code of student conduct, which applies both on and off-campus.

She said the police or grand jury does not affect her office procedures.

"The behavior in question may seem subjective," she said. "Did it happen? Did it not happen? But, there's always more to the story and so, that's what we want to get to, the heart of the matter, to get an understanding of the students and what may or may not have involved."

Both Jefferson and Johns have been invited to testify before the grand jury. They are not required, but are allowed if they decide, and that will be up to their attorneys.

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