Trial opens for sheriff charged in jail beatings, cover-up

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana sheriff charged with ordering the beatings of prisoners and orchestrating a brazen cover-up is standing trial this week in federal court.
No matter the jury’s verdict, the Justice Department’s case against Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal already has left bruises on the Cajun community that first elected him eight years ago.
The local district attorney has dismissed more than 100 criminal cases connected to nine former sheriff’s deputi