Former New Orleans Louisiana Chief Deputy Of Traffic Court James Singleton Charged With Stealing Money From Traffic Violators

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – The former chief deputy of New Orleans Traffic Court has been formally charged with stealing money from unsuspecting traffic violators, an alleged scam we detailed in an earlier 4Investigates story.

James Singleton was charged today in a one-count bill of information. He is charged with felony theft as an agent of an organization receiving federal funds.

Singleton is accused of taking at least $9,760 from at least six victims, but never clearing their violations in the court’s computer system. Sources tell Channel 4 that Singleton may not have acted alone and is cooperating with a larger investigation.

Singleton was arrested April 20 based on a criminal complaint and has since been out on bond. The fact that Singleton was charged through a bill of information, rather than a grand jury indictment, is a sign that he is cooperating with authorities.

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said the charge against Singleton illustrates the goverment’s “zero tolerance for corruption.”

“In addition to using his position to steal from citizens, Singleton’s conduct denied essential funds to New Orleans traffic court and to the city’s public defender’s office,” he said.

According to traffic court officials, Singleton was in charge of giving “reinstatement letters” to traffic violators who paid off their tickets to regain their suspended licenses and driving privileges. But officials became suspicious when some of those violators returned to court after being re-arrested for the same unpaid violations.

Rochelle Evans said she was a victim. Evans had racked up multiple tickets, so she paid them off with her income tax refund. She thought the matter was over until she got pulled over again and arrested.

“I got pulled over by the police officer and he told me that my driver’s license was suspended, and I went to telling him, that can’t be so, because it was handled already and it wasn’t,” Evans said.

When Evans went back to court, she got the bad news: none of the tickets was marked as paid.

Noel Cassanova, chief clerk of traffic court, said he heard identical complaints from others. He reviewed the cases and found a common thread: reinstatement letters signed by Singleton.

“The letter says the tickets are satisfied, but the computer says they’re open and pending,” Cassanova said.

After several such complaints, Cassanova and the traffic court judges confronted Singleton. He initially denied stealing money, but in September 2010 handed in his resignation.

The court reported Singleton to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and the FBI. During the course of an 18-month investigation, more than a dozen additional alleged victims came forward, all with reinstatement letters signed by Singleton.

Channel 4 also began investigating and found several more people who said they were victimized. One woman said she went to an ATM on several occasions to pay Singleton hundreds of dollars. Another alleged victim said Singleton came to her house to collect.

In the course of our investigation, Singleton was quietly arrested by the FBI. In its affidavit, the FBI says Singleton admitted pocketing the money.

WWL-TV has not been able to contact Singleton, who is not related to the former New Orleans city councilman of the same name, for comment.

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New Orleans Louisiana Police Officers Sentenced To Just 6 To 65 Years In Federal Prison After Opening Fire On Unarmed Citizens After Katrina – Department Wanted To Prosecute Two Survivors For Lying After Official Investigation Resulted In Report Full Of Lies

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A federal judge Wednesday sentenced five former New Orleans police officers to prison terms ranging from six to 65 years for the shootings of unarmed civilians in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, prosecutors said.

The shootings occurred on the Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005, six days after much of New Orleans went underwater when the powerful hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast. The ex-officers were convicted in August on a combined 25 counts of civil rights violations.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt imposed the stiffest sentence on former officer Robert Faulcon, who was handed a 65-year term for his involvement in shooting two of the victims. Former sergeants Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius got 40 years for their roles in the incident, while ex-officer Robert Villavaso was sentenced to 38 years.

The lightest term went to former detective sergeant Arthur Kaufman, who was sentenced to six years for attempting to cover up what the officers had done, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in New Orleans.

The men were accused of opening fire on an unarmed family, killing 17-year-old James Brissette and wounding four others. Minutes later, Faulcon shot and killed Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old man described by Justice Department officials as having severe mental disabilities and who was trying to flee the scene when he was shot, according to the Justice Department.

At the time, New Orleans police said they got into a running gun battle with several people. Prosecutors said Kaufman wrote the department’s formal report on the incident, which concluded the shootings were justified and recommended the prosecution of two of the survivors “on the basis of false evidence.”

During the trial, the defense asked the jury to consider the stressful circumstances the officers were operating under following Katrina. The shootings took place during a week of dire flooding, rampant looting and death by drowning, and police were strained by suicides and desertion among their ranks.

But U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said the prison sentences send the message that “when the crisis we face is the most threatening, that when the challenges are the greatest, the rules don’t go out the window.”

“In fact, that’s when the discipline, when the honesty of our public servants, our police and the men and women of law enforcement are most critical,” Letten said.

Romell Madison, brother of victim Ronald Madison, told reporters after Wednesday’s proceedings that his family was happy with the sentences, even though prosecutors had to enter into plea agreements with several other officers to obtain the convictions.

“I think it made a big difference, even though they did give them lower sentences, that they did come forth and testify to get the truth out,” Madison said. “At least we got to the truth.”

Five other officers, including a lieutenant, have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison terms of up to eight years in the case for conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Letten said the plea deals were necessary to break a “logjam” that had prevented investigators to get the whole story of what happened on the Danziger Bridge, in New Orleans East.

The Justice Department brought charges after a similar case brought by local prosecutors foundered. Thomas Perez, the head of the department’s civil rights division, said the feds inherited a “cold case” when they took over in 2008.

“There were many, many New Orleans police officers who performed courageous, selfless acts of heroism in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,” Perez said. “But regrettably, the acts of heroism of so many have been overshadowed by the misconduct of a few.

“What we learned in this trial — what we learned in these convictions — is that the Constitution never takes a holiday. The Constitution applies every day of every week, and no police officer can take it upon himself or herself to suspend the Constitution.”

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched an investigation into what it called “patterns or practices” of alleged misconduct by New Orleans police in the aftermath of Katrina, which killed nearly 1,500 people in Louisiana and more than 1,700 across the Gulf Coast. Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said Wednesday that his department “will continue to take bold and decisive actions to right the wrongs inside the department, some of which we now know go back seven full years.”

Mary Howell, a lawyer for the Madison family, said those promised reforms are “the most critical part in all of this.”

“This just can’t ever happen again,” she said.

Lance Madison, who was with his brother on the bridge that September day, told reporters that he is grateful that his brother had received justice. But he added, “I try to avoid the Danzinger Bridge, because when I go there, it just brings back memories of what I went through.”

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Four New Orleans Louisiana Police Officers Receive 38 To 65 Years In Federal Prison For Danziger Bridge Murders And Shootings Of Unarmed Residents And Following Cover Up Efforts

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Four former New Orleans policemen convicted of shootings in 2005 that killed two unarmed people and wounded four others following Hurricane Katrina were given sentences on Wednesday ranging from 38 to 65 years in prison.

A fifth former police officer who did not participate in the shootings but engineered a four-year cover-up of the crimes was sentenced the six years.

The sentencing of the five men in federal court completed one of the last cases of police misconduct in New Orleans more than six years after the devastating hurricane flooded the city and triggered a chaotic aftermath.

Last August, a jury found former policemen Kenneth Bowen, Robert Faulcon, Robert Gisevius and Anthony Villavaso guilty on multiple charges including federal civil rights violations stemming from the September 4, 2005, incident.

Bowen and Gisevius were sentenced to 40 years each and Villavaso to 38 years by U.S. District Court Judge Kurt Englehardt. Faulcon was sentenced to 65 years.

A fifth officer, homicide detective Arthur “Archie” Kaufman, was convicted of covering up the crimes through a series of false reports and lies that continued for more than four years.

Another police detective charged with participating in the cover-up is slated for trial in May.

The five who were sentenced on Wednesday were among a dozen officers who responded to a radio call that police were taking fire near the Danziger Bridge in eastern New Orleans just days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the city.

The officers packed into a rental truck and sped to the site. Witnesses testified that when the officers arrived, they jumped out of the truck and repeatedly fired assault rifles, shotguns and handguns at civilians walking on the bridge.

“The officers who shot innocent people on the bridge and then went to great lengths to cover up their own crimes have finally been held accountable for their actions,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas Perez said in a statement. “As a result of today’s sentencing, the city of New Orleans can take another step forward.”

James Bresette, 17, and Ronald Madison, 40, were killed in the incident.

In reports filed by the officers or on their behalf, they claimed they shot only after being threatened or fired on and that they had seen weapons in the victims’ hands.

Kaufman was later convicted of planting a handgun at the scene.

During the six-week-long trial in 2011, lead prosecutor Barbara “Bobbi” Bernstein presented testimony from dozens of witnesses, including eastern New Orleans resident Susan Bartholomew, who lost her arm from a shotgun blast in the incident.

Witnesses included five police officers who earlier pleaded guilty to roles in the shootings or cover-up. Four of the officers testified for the prosecution, and all five began serving sentences that range from three to eight years.

Federal prosecutors and the FBI took up the case in 2009 after a previous case brought by the New Orleans district attorney was thrown out because of a prosecutor’s misconduct.

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US Secret Service Pisses Away Tax Dollars Trying To ID Woman Who Said “Pretend Its Obama” While Candidate Was Firing Pistol At Target On Shooting Range

WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Friday that he will support the eventual GOP nominee, if it isn’t him, despite what he insists are similarities between front-runner Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama that make them indistinguishable on some issues.

“I will support whoever wins the Republican primary to beat Barack Obama,” Santorum told supporters at a police gun range in northern Louisiana.

Poised to do well in Louisiana’s primary Saturday, Santorum sought to explain his comment Thursday in Texas that Romney and Obama are so similar on the issues that Republicans might just as well vote to give the president a second term instead of casting their ballots for Romney.

Santorum argues that he is the only Republican candidate who can offer voters a stark contrast with Obama.

After testing his marksmanship with a .45 caliber semiautomatic Colt pistol, Santorum told reporters: “If you don’t have a choice, then a lot of voters are going to vote for what they have. That’s why we have to have a choice.”

“I’ve said repeatedly and will continue to say, I’ll vote for whoever the Republican nominee is and I will work for him,” he added. “Barack Obama is a disaster, but we can’t have someone who agrees with him on some of the biggest issues of the day.”

While Santorum tamped down one fire, a supporter in the audience added an off-message wrinkle. As he fired the pistol, a woman in the crowd shouted: “Pretend it’s Obama.”

Santorum was wearing protective ear muffs. He said later that he didn’t hear the remark but denounced it as “absurd.”

“It’s a very terrible and horrible remark and I’m glad I didn’t hear it,” he said.

The Secret Service, which provides security for Santorum, was trying to identify the woman.

“Typically, in an incident like this, we attempt to identify the individual, speak to them and then figure out what the next steps are,” said spokesman Edwin Donovan. “People have a right to free speech but we have a right and an obligation to determine what their intent is.”

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Crazed Louisiana Lawmakers Ban Cash When Buying Other People’s Trash

LOUISIANA – Cold hard cash. It’s good everywhere you go, right? You can use it to pay for anything.

But that’s not the case here in Louisiana now. It’s a law that was passed during this year’s busy legislative session.

House bill 195 basically says those who buy and sell second hand goods cannot use cash to make those transactions, and it flew so far under the radar most businesses don’t even know about it.

“We’re gonna lose a lot of business,” says Danny Guidry, who owns the Pioneer Trading Post in Lafayette. He deals in buying and selling unique second hand items.

“We don’t want this cash transaction to be taken away from us. It’s an everyday transaction,” Guidry explains.

Guidry says, “I think everyone in this business once they find out about it. They’re will definitely be a lot of uproar.”

The law states those who buy or sell second hand goods are prohibited from using cash. State representative Rickey Hardy co-authored the bill.

Hardy says, “they give a check or a cashiers money order, or electronic one of those three mechanisms is used.”

Hardy says the bill is targeted at criminals who steal anything from copper to televisions, and sell them for a quick buck. Having a paper trail will make it easier for law enforcement.

“It’s a mechanism to be used so the police department has something to go on and have a lead,” explains Hardy.

Guidry feels his store shouldn’t have to change it’s ways of doing business, because he may possibly buy or sell stolen goods. Something he says has happened once in his eight years.

“We are being targeted for something we shouldn’t be.”

Besides non-profit resellers like Goodwill, and garage sales, the language of the bill encompasses stores like the Pioneer Trading Post and flea markets.

Lawyer Thad Ackel Jr. feels the passage of this bill begins a slippery slope for economic freedom in the state.

“The government is placing a significant restriction on individuals transacting in their own private property,” says Ackel.

Pawn shops have been forced to keep records of their clients for years. However under this bill they are still allowed to deal in cash.

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Poor Planning: Taxpayer Funded $36 Million Terminal At Monroe Louisiana Regional Airport Can’t Connect To Airplanes

LOUISIANA – Monroe Regional Airport officials learned Tuesday passenger loading and unloading bridges at the new $36 million terminal are not able to connect to airplanes.

Airport director Cleve Norrell confirmed Tuesday afternoon that some of the loading and unloading bridges at the new terminal appear they will not be able to connect to some of the airplanes.

He said airport officials are working to determine what caused the problem, if the issue resulted from a design flaw during the construction process or if it was a result of an error on the city’s part.

“We are checking them out to see what the problem is, but it looks like some of them will fit and some won’t fit,” Norrell said. “We’re not sure what will fix it right now, but that’s what we’re working on. There are a lot of variables, but we’ll know when we try to put them up to the plane. We’re working to remedy the problem.”

Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo said he was made aware of the problem late Tuesday.

“I’m trying to find out what’s going on,” Mayo said. “What I’ve been told is the loading bridges are not long enough to reach the airplanes. They are several feet short, which presents a problem for the planes connecting to the loading bridges. There’s a certain distance the planes have to stop at the building, and the loading bridges cannot reach out there. I don’t know if there was a test, but there should have been one. I am very concerned whether or not a test was done prior to the first plane coming in, and I’m going to get to the root of the problem. It’s just not acceptable.”

He said in the meantime, the airport will have to improvise with the loading and unloading of passengers.

The new 58,000-square-foot terminal was constructed by Lincoln Builders of Ruston.

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$325,000 Lawsuit Charges Gretna Louisiana Police Officer Joseph Mekdessie With Taser Weapon Attack On 7 Year Old Boy – Officer Also Subject Of $32 Million Lawsuit In Penis Case

A Gretna police officer accused in a lawsuit this month of unleashing his canine on a suspect whose penis was nearly severed has been accused in another lawsuit of injuring a 7-year-old boy with his Taser, a shock intended for the boy’s father who says he wrongly arrested during a traffic stop. Officer Joseph Mekdessie, Chief Arthur Lawson, the Gretna Police Department and the City of Gretna are named in the lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans by attorneys for Marlon Bordelon Sr., and his son Marlon Bordelon Jr., who seek $325,000 in damages in the May 21 incident.

Lawson said Monday he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment, but he knew of no instances in which a child was hit with a Taser.

The Bordelons were “traveling home” when Mekdessie conducted a traffic stop and allegedly shined his flashlight in the boy’s face, leading the father to question why the officer was doing it, according to the lawsuit filed by attorney Edwin Shorty Jr. The officer then asked the elder Bordelon for his license and registration, and asked him to get out of the car.

The father twice asked why he was being ordered out of the car and refused to get out, “prompting Officer Mekdessie to say, ‘Don’t get tased in front of your son.’”

“Mr. Bordelon then asked the officer, ‘So you’re just gonna tase me in front of my son?’” and again refused to get out of his car, according to the lawsuit.

When the father told his son to call his mother, Mekdessie fired his Taser, striking the man and his son. Mekdessie fired the Taser a second time at the man, causing him to fall out of the car and onto the ground, where the officer placed a stun gun to the man’s neck and shocked him before putting him in handcuffs and dragging him and punched in the neck and face, according to the lawsuit.

Marlon Bordelon Jr. was taken to Children’s Hospital, where a burn mark on his leg caused by the Taser was noted, according to the lawsuit. After he was released from jail on charges of battery on a police officer and traffic offenses, Bordelon Sr., was treated for a black eye and first-degree burns, according to the lawsuit.

Mekdessie “mislabeled” Bordelon’s “involuntary gestations,” caused by his being shocked, Bordelon alleges. Bordelon says he did nothing wrong, but that Mekdessie “sought to falsely prosecute … and to concoct a false story against him.”

The lawsuit accused Lawson and the police department of not properly training officers to use Tasers and approve their use even when there is no threat to the officer.

Mekdessie, Lawson, Officer Roland Kindell and the police department were sued Aug. 9, by Cody Melancon of Gretna, who alleges his constitutional rights were violated May 31, when Mekdessie, Kindell and other officers went to his apartment to arrest him on a warrant.

Melancon admits he initially tried to hide from the officers. But he said he surrendered, and despite complying, Mekdessie allegedly released his police canine, Zin, without cause. The dog bit at Melancon’s groin area, causing extensive damage and leaving him sexually dysfunctional. Melancon seeks $31 million in damages.

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Appeals Court Upholds $25,000 Compensation To Elderly Man After Brutal “Attitude Adjustment” Beating By Hornbeck Louisiana Police Officers Kenneth Hatchett, Jr. And Andy Mitchell

Police in Louisiana slammed a 67-year-old man into the ground, arresting him over a questionable traffic violation. The state court of appeals ruled May 11 that Calvin D. Miller’s injuries were only worth $25,000 in compensation. Miller had been driving his big rig logging truck home to Florien on US Highway 171 at 5:30pm on July 13, 2007. As he passed through the Village of Hornbeck, Officers Kenneth Hatchett, Jr., and Andy Mitchell, 19, pulled him over because he began speeding up “about 100 feet” before the limit changed from 45 to 55 MPH. Having driven the road for the past forty-seven years, Miller was quite familiar with the speed limit. He insisted he was not speeding.

“I can see right now you’re going to need an attitude adjustment,” Officer Hatchett said to the five foot, six inch tall elderly man.

Miller punched his own fist, then turned his back on the officers and began walking away. They threw him to the ground, deliberately slamming his head into the concrete so he could be handcuffed tightly. After Miller’s wife bailed him out, Miller went to Byrd Regional Hospital where physicians documented the gash on Miller’s forehead, the swelling and bruises and the injury to his wrist and arms. His missed two weeks of work after the incident.

“You don’t turn your back on a cop,” Officer Hatchett explained.

Both officers denied knowing how Miller’s head came into contact with the concrete road shoulder. Eleventh Judicial District Court Judge Stephen Bruce Beasley did not find their testimony credible.

“Officers Hatchett and Mitchell had the considerable advantage of youth, height, weight and weaponry over Miller,” Beasley ruled. “There was no testimony that Miller, at any time during the altercation, brandished or was perceived to possess a weapon. Although Miller was attempting to leave the scene, the stop did not require taking him into custody.”

Beasley found the officers entirely at fault for Miller’s injuries and awarded him $25,000 in damages. The officers appealed the ruling, insisting they had full immunity from prosecution. A three-judge appellate panel rejected the claim and upheld the judgment in full, declining to adjust the damages up or down.

“The totality of the circumstances support the trial court’s finding that the two young armed officers faced little or no risks from Miller for his crime of ‘speeding’ (assuming it to be true) shortly before he actually reached the fifty-five-mile-per-hour sign,” Judge Shannon J. Gremillion wrote for the appeals court. “There is no error in the finding that the force used was excessive and not motivated by officer safety, but to adjust Miller’s attitude.”

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Veteran New Orleans Louisiana Police Officer Emelda Blanco And Her Police Officer Son Arrested After Bar Fight

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – The New Orleans Police Department today suspended two officers: Emelda Blanco, a 25-year-veteran of the force, and her son, a 3-year member of the NOPD.

In a press release, the NOPD says both “were arrested and booked today with one count of Simple Battery.”

According to spokesman Officer Hilal Williams, the two cops were arrested for their involvement in a “disturbance” early Sunday at Robertson’s Vieux Carre Lounge on Basin Street.

The mother and son crime-fighters reportedly instigated a fight that involved a security guard at the lounge.

Both are on suspension without pay “pending an investigation by the Public Integrity Bureau,” according to the news release.

The arrests and suspensions of the Blancos come on the same day that the NOPD fired a senior officer implicated in the Henry Glover case.

NOPD Captain Jeffery Winn, a 25-year veteran of the force, was fired “due to neglect of duty,” the police department said in a statement.

Winn commanded the New Orleans Police SWAT team and supervised two officers charged with burning the body of Henry Glover, a man shot by another NOPD officer after Hurricane Katrina.

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Crazed Louisiana Judge Sentenced Scared 14 Year Old Girl To 6 Months In Jail For Refusing To Testify

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA – A 15-year-old Harvey girl who is Jefferson Parish prosecutors’ key witness in a second-degree murder case spent a night in jail after she refused to testify against the accused killer Wednesday, a silence apparently based in her fear of the defendant or his family.

Jessica Cheatteam was held in contempt of court Wednesday after she flatly refused to say in open court and in front of a jury that Michael Williams shot Terry Redmond on April 26, 2009, in Harvey’s Scotsdale neighborhood, a claim she shared with Sheriff’s Office detectives who were investigating the slaying two years ago.

Cheatteam, who was 13 years old when Redmond was shot several times, was sitting at the witness stand only feet from Williams, 18, while members of his family sat in the audience yards behind him.

Her refusal to testify led Judge June Darensburg of the 24th Judicial District Court to send the jury out of the courtroom and arrange for a public defender, Graham Bosworth, to provide legal advice to the teenager. But after conferring privately with Bosworth, Cheatteam again refused to testify.

“Are you refusing to testify and answer our questions?” asked Assistant District Attorney Sunny Funk, who is prosecuting Williams with David Hufft.

“That’s correct,” Cheatteam said.

Darensburg then found Cheatteam in contempt of court and sentenced her to six months in jail, the maximum for contempt. Cheatteam seemed unfazed as she was escorted out of court to the Rivarde Juvenile Detention Center in Harvey.

Cheatteam was back in Darensburg’s court Thursday, shortly after the judge declared a mistrial because of allegations that jurors improperly discussed the case among themselves, including the effect of Cheatteam’s refusal to testify.

Dressed in a navy blue jail outfit, her handcuffs chained to her waist and her ankles shackled together, Cheatteam sat alone while attorneys discussed her immediate fate with Darensburg at the bench. It was then that she saw members of Williams’ family in the hallway outside court, apparently looking at her through the windows flanking the courtroom’s doors.

“What they looking at?” she yelled, sending a jolt through the courtroom.

Darensburg ordered her bailiff to clear the hallway. Moments later, the judge vacated her contempt order and released Cheatteam from custody. However, Cheatteam was sent to a juvenile facility in another jurisdiction for reasons that were not discussed openly in court because of her age.

“Good luck to you, Miss Cheatteam,” Darensburg told the girl.

Hufft said in opening statements Wednesday that Cheatteam has been uncooperative. While the prosecutors have another witness who saw events that preceded the shooting, Cheatteam is the only witness alleged to have seen the shooting itself.

Detectives learned she witnessed the crime while interviewing people who called 911 to report gunfire, Detective Jeffrey Rodrigue testified. He described her as “very” young but “very calm” and “very cooperative” when he and Sgt. Kevin Decker questioned her at the Sheriff’s Office investigations bureau in Harvey until almost midnight.

Authorities allege Williams was thrown to the ground by Redmond, 42. Redmond then ran through an open field off Angus Drive, and crossed a concrete-lined drainage canal while Williams chased after him armed with a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

A deputy dispatched to investigate reports of gunfire, Eric Blandford, testified he found Redmond’s body on the grassy shoulder of Florence Street where it dead-ends at the canal near Esther Street. Witnesses claim Williams ran back toward an awaiting white sedan on Angus and fled. He was arrested days later at a friend’s home in Marrero by SWAT officers.

Williams denies being the shooter, and his public defender Joe Perez repeatedly called into question a Sheriff’s Office policy in which detectives “interrogate” witnesses and suspects in what they call “pre-interviews,” before recording the formal statements that juries later hear. Perez questioned several witnesses about the interviews, including Rodrigue about his contact with Cheatteam. Following about an hour of pre-interview, Cheatteam gave a 14-minute taped statement, according to testimony.

In opening statements, Perez told the jury Cheatteam has given “multiple renditions” of what she saw. As such, Perez alleged, prosecutors threatened “what would happen to her if she did not cooperate.”

Darensburg declared a mistrial Thursday after hearing a report from one juror that another juror had made derogatory comments about Perez’s case, alleging it was “smoke and mirrors,” Perez said. Judges routinely instruct juries not to discuss the case among themselves, because such discussions should be reserved for deliberations after all evidence is presented.

Darensburg opened a hearing in which several jurors were individually questioned, after which Perez asked for a mistrial. Darensburg granted the request.

Williams’ new trial is now set to begin July 25. Cheatteam has been subpoenaed to be there, court records show.

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Fired Shreveport Louisiana Police Officer Morgan King Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison For Perjury

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA – A Shreveport police officer fired for running away from a situation where fellow officers had to shoot an armed man was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for lying on the witness stand about his actions.

Caddo prosecutors, who obtained a perjury conviction against Morgan King, said the false testimony was part of King’s efforts to make his actions look better and enhance his chances of getting his job back.

Caddo District Judge Mike Pitman imposed sentence Monday morning and ordered King immediately taken into custody. He set bond at $100,000 if King wants to appeal his sentence.

King was fired over his actions that night. Video from the police car of an officer involved in the May 2006 shooting shows King delay arriving at the scene, then walk by the wounded man and the two fellow officers before running back to his patrol car and leaving.

Raymond Darnell was shot by police after he shot and wounded his girlfriend in front of officer. They in turn shot him.

The false testimony came during a hearing in which Darnell, who was convicted of attempted murder, sought a new trial, Assistant District Attorney Brady O’Callaghan said.

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Slidell Louisiana Police Officer Sgt. Claude Stevens Arrested, Suspended, And Charged With Simple Battery Domestic Abuse

SLIDELL, LOUISIANA – Slidell – A 14 year Slidell Police Department veteran was arrested Wednesday for domestic abuse after an altercation with his wife, according to a police spokesman.

Sgt. Claude Stevens was charged with simple battery domestic abuse and placed on administrative leave. The incident happened Sunday, according to police. The Slidell Police Department has launched an internal investigation.

“If Sgt. Stevens is found guilty on these charges he will face disciplinary action,” Chief Randy Smith said.

Stevens turned himself in to police and was released after posting a $459 bond. He was reassigned to the patrol division while the case is investigated.

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New Orleans Louisiana Police Officers Melvin Williams And Matthew Dean Moore Convicted In Federal For Roles In 2005 Fatal Beating And Coverup – Dumped Victim At Hospital After Beating, Saying He Was Found Under A Bridge

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Two New Orleans police officers were convicted Wednesday in federal court for their roles in the 2005 fatal beating of Raymond Robair and a cover-up that kept them out of trouble for several years.

After deliberating for more than 13 hours over three days, a jury determined that veteran officer Melvin Williams violated Robair’s civil rights by beating and kicking him on a Treme street corner, an act the jury said directly resulted in his death.

The jury also found Williams and his rookie partner, officer Matthew Dean Moore, guilty of submitting a false police report about the incident. Moore, who agreed to be interviewed by FBI agents about the case, was also convicted of lying to the investigators.

After the verdicts were read, both Moore and Williams, who had been free on bond, were taken directly into the custody of federal marshals. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced July 14. Williams faces a possible sentence of life in prison, and Moore, up to 25 years.

Drug Addicted Baton Rouge Louisiana Police Officer Michael Thompson Arrested, Quits, Charged With Stealing $15,000 In Seized Drug Money

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – A Baton Rouge Police officer has been arrested on multiple theft counts and a charge of malfeasance for allegedly stealing money seized in drug investigations.

Sgt. Donald Stone, a police spokesman, says 27-year-old Michael Thompson was booked Wednesday into the East Baton Rouge Parish jail on seven counts of felony theft and one count of malfeasance.

Thompson is accused of stealing about $15,000 that was seized during narcotics investigations. Stone says Thompson admitted he was addicted to prescription pain medication and took the money to fund his addiction.

Thompson, a 5-year veteran of the department, had been assigned to the Narcotics Division. He resigned shortly after his arrest.

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New Orleans Louisiana Police Officers Melvin Williams And Matthew Dean Moore Convicted In Handyman’s Brutal Beating Death

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A New Orleans police officer was convicted Wednesday of beating a 48-year-old handyman to death, while a fellow officer was found guilty of trying to help his partner cover up the deadly encounter nearly six years ago.

A federal jury convicted Officer Melvin Williams of violating Raymond Robair’s constitutional rights by kicking and beating him with a baton while he and Officer Matthew Dean Moore patrolled the Treme neighborhood on July 30, 2005. The jury of seven men and five women also convicted Williams and Moore of submitting a false report and found Moore guilty of lying to the FBI.

The case is one of several probes of the New Orleans police department by the Justice Department, which have resulted in charges against 20 current or former officers.

The officers’ attorneys had tried to shift the blame for Robair’s death to doctors who treated him for a heart attack for about 90 minutes before they discovered his spleen had ruptured. But the jury concluded Williams caused Robair’s death.

Williams faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Moore could get up to 25 years in prison. After the verdict, U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon ordered both remanded into custody while they await a July 14 sentencing hearing. The department suspended both officers without pay after the verdict.

Outside the courthouse, some of Robair’s relatives wept as they embraced.

“I was waiting for this day,” said his mother, Marie Robair. “Now I can rest and my son can rest in peace.”

“It’s a humbling experience. It’s a learning experience,” said his daughter, Judonna Mitchell. “It’s taught me to be patient and to be true to my own faith.”

The jury heard four days of testimony and deliberated over three days before reaching the verdict, which “surprised, shocked and disappointed” Moore’s attorney, Eric Hessler.

“I don’t think the verdict fit the evidence presented by the government,” he said, questioning whether jurors were swayed by emotion.

Prosecutors said Williams beat Robair without justification, breaking four ribs and crushing his spleen before the officers drove him to a hospital, where he died of massive internal bleeding.

Williams, 48, denied kicking or hitting Robair. He claimed Robair slipped and fell on a curb as they approached, but jurors heard from residents who said they witnessed the beating. The officers’ attorneys, however, said the witnesses gave conflicting accounts.

The jury’s foreman — Patrick Goodman, 55, of River Ridge — told The Associated Press he didn’t believe Robair’s injuries could have been caused by slipping and falling on a curb before Moore started to handcuff him. Goodman said he discounted the officers’ version of events because their courtroom testimony didn’t match “written evidence,” including statements they gave after Robair’s death.

“I had to believe the pathologist who stated that the fall alone could not create enough force to cause that injury,” Goodman said, referring to an expert witness called by prosecutors.

Goodman also said he also believed residents who testified they saw Williams kick and beat Robair with a baton, even though some details didn’t match up.

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Unarmed And Shot In The Back: New Orleans Police Officers David Warren And Gregory McRae Murdered Man And Burnt Body – Sentenced To Just 25 And 17 Years In Prison

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A former New Orleans police officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for shooting a man to death without justification after Hurricane Katrina, and his ex-colleague was given 17 years for burning the body.

Former officer David Warren was convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of Henry Glover, 31, outside a strip mall less than a week after the August 2005 storm. Ex-officer Gregory McRae was found guilty of burning Glover’s body in a car near a police station.

Warren faced a maximum sentence of life in prison while McRae could have received 50 years.

Lawyers for the men argued they deserved some leniency, partly because of the horrific conditions they faced in the chaos that followed the hurricane.

The judge said he didn’t believe Warren’s testimony that Glover posed a threat. “He was not at the strip mall to commit suicide, he was there to retrieve some baby clothing,” U.S. District Judge Lance Africk said. “You killed a man. Despite your contentious arguments to the contrary, it was no mistake.”

Glover’s family sat in the courtroom as he was sentenced.

“I forgive these men because if I don’t forgive them Jesus won’t forgive me,” said his mother, Edna Glover.

Jurors also convicted former Lt. Travis McCabe of writing a false report on the shooting. His sentencing has been postponed while his lawyers seek a new trial based on what they say is newly discovered evidence.

The jury cleared Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann of charges he burned Glover’s body and beat one of the men who brought the dying Glover to a makeshift police compound in search of help after the Sept. 2, 2005, shooting. Robert Italiano, a retired police lieutenant, was acquitted of charges he submitted a false report on the shooting and lied to the FBI.

Prosecutors said Glover was unarmed when Warren, 47, shot him in the back. But the former officer said he opened fire because he feared for his life. Warren said he was guarding a police substation at a shopping mall when Glover and a friend, Bernard Calloway, pulled up in a stolen truck and started running toward a gate that would have given them access to the building. He testified that the men ignored his commands to stop and that he thought he saw a gun in Glover’s hand before he fired one shot at him from a second-floor balcony.

His partner that day, Officer Linda Howard, testified Glover and Calloway weren’t armed and didn’t pose a threat.

McRae, 49, admitted he drove Glover’s body from the police compound to a nearby Mississippi River levee and set it on fire. The car belonged to one of the men who had driven Glover to the compound. McRae said he burned the vehicle because he was weary of seeing rotting corpses after the storm. Another officer, however, testified he saw McRae laughing after he set the fire.

McRae’s attorney argued his client deserved some leniency for accepting responsibility and admitting during the trial that he set Glover’s body on fire.

“Your conduct was barbaric,” Africk told McRae. “The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina was made uglier by your disturbing actions. At a time when more was expected of you, you failed miserably.”

Warren has been in custody since his indictment last year. McRae has been free on bond but was immediately taken into custody after sentencing.

A total of 20 current or former New Orleans police officers were charged last year in a series of Justice Department civil rights investigations. The probe of Glover’s death was the first of those cases to be tried.

Next week, two officers are scheduled to be tried on charges stemming from the July 2005 beating death of a 48-year-old man. And a trial is scheduled to start in June for five current or former officers charged in deadly bridge shootings and an alleged plot to make the shootings appear justified.

Police shot and killed two people and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after Katrina. Five other former officers already have pleaded guilty to participating in a cover-up of the shootings.

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Federal Investigation “Finds” Legal And Constitutional Violations Within New Orleans Louisiana Police Department After Decades Of Beatings, Killings, Bogus Charges, Illegal Searches, Profiling, Discrimination, Hiring, Promotions, Lack Of Training, etc., etc., etc., etc…

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A federal investigation found that the New Orleans Police Department has engaged in patterns of misconduct in violation of the Constitution and federal law, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Among the findings are that the police department has used excessive force, made unconstitutional stops and searches, and illegally profiled people based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. The investigation also found a number of practices that contributed to the illegal conduct, including failed systems for recruiting and promoting officers, poor training and lack of supervision, among others.

“Today is both a day for concern and hope,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole said.

Many of the New Orleans officers carry out their jobs well, he said, but “unfortunately, our conclusions reveal that many New Orleans police officers have failed to live up to what we rightfully expect from our law enforcement people.”

Police Superintendent Ronal W. Serpas said his department is “completely embracing” the report.

“I believe there is no question that this plan will catapult our department,” he said.

The investigation was announced last year, when the newly elected mayor, Mitch Landrieu, asked the Justice Department to review the city’s embattled police department just two days after taking office.

In a May 2010 letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder, Landrieu asks for a team from the department’s civil rights division to help the city address and prevent police misconduct.

“I have inherited a police force that has been described by many as one of the worst police departments in the country,” Landrieu said in the letter.

“It is clear that nothing short of a complete transformation is necessary and essential to ensure safety for the citizens of New Orleans,” it said. “The police force, the community, our citizens are desperate for positive change.”

Within his first week in office, Landrieu also announced he had tapped Serpas — a New Orleans native who was then police chief in Nashville and had a track record of reducing violent crime — as the city’s new police superintendent to lead reforms.

The investigation was not related to any ongoing federal criminal prosecutions of officers, officials said. Federal prosecutors have investigated several New Orleans police officers involved in a shooting on the Danziger Bridge four days after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore in 2005.

Two civilians were killed in that shooting — a 19-year-old man and a severely disabled 40-year-old man. Four people were hurt. Former city police officer Robert Barrios pleaded guilty in federal court in April 2010 to a charge he failed to report a cover-up of the shooting. His plea came after guilty pleas related to the incident from three other former New Orleans police officers: Michael Lohman, Jeffrey Lehrmann and Michael Hunter.

As a result of the findings of the current federal investigation, the Justice Department will work with the New Orleans police to develop new policies and training for its officers. The police department must implement a new way of working that ensures accountability, work closer with the community and restore confidence in the department, the Justice Department said.

“Today’s findings should serve as a foundation not only to rebuild the police department but to help restore the community’s trust in fair, just and effective law enforcement,” Cole said.

The investigation was carried out with the support of the mayor and the police superintendent.

“Our investigation has shown that the problems and challenges confronting the NOPD are serious, wide-ranging, systemic and deeply rooted in the culture of the department,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.

For example, investigators found that officers “regularly used excessive force as retaliation” but that in six years, not one officer-involved shooting violated policy. In some cases, there were attempts to prevent the prosecution of officers, Perez said.

They also found that officers did not know the law regarding legal stops, searches and arrests. The system at the police department favored quantity of arrests over quality, Perez said.

“Our next step will be to work with the (police) department to develop a consent decree, which will involve federal oversight,” he said.

Perez said as part of that consent decree, benchmarks will be established to make sure the police department is improving. He said the benchmarks will address areas such as racial profiling and use of force.

Investigators also found regular harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, he said.

Investigations of city police by the Justice Department are not uncommon, but cities themselves rarely initiate them, Merrick Bobb, executive director of the Police Assessment Resource Center in Los Angeles, told CNN when the New Orleans probe was launched last year.

District of Columbia officials took a similar approach in 1999 when they asked the Justice Department to investigate whether city police were using excessive force, he said.

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Veteran St. Bernard Parish Louisiana Deputy Sheriff Thomas Spicuzza Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Raping Unconscious Woman

ST. BERNARD, LOUISIANA – A St. Bernard Parish deputy has been arrested for allegedly raping a Chalmette woman while he was off-duty and giving her a ride home to the parish from a Mardi Gras event, said Sheriff Jack Stephens.

Deputy Thomas Spicuzza, 37, surrendered himself to deputies Wednesday after a judge signed a warrant for his arrest. Bond has been set at $50,000.

Spicuzza, a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, drove the 28-year-old Chalmette woman home from a Mardi Gras event in New Orleans because she wanted to leave early, according to the alleged victim’s report. Spicuzza hadn’t attended the party with the woman, but knew her and her fiance, Stephens said.

The woman, who told investigators she was on prescription medicine for anxiety and depression, said she lost consciousness and couldn’t remember the ride back to her home in St. Bernard with Spicuzza. She said she remembers waking up in a bed with Spicuzza and the two having sex, and then later, Spicuzza bringing her home.

Spicuzza maintains his innocence, saying the act was consensual.

Stephens said there’s a zero-tolerance police for officers who are arrested.

“For better or worse law enforcement officials should be and are held to a higher standard than civilians,” Stephens said. “We know the law, it’s our job to protect people and prevent things like this from happening, so the allegation is disturbing, and it’s unsettling to the whole department.”

Spicuzza has been on administrative leave since March 12, when the woman reported the alleged rape to the police. The incident in question happened the week before, Stephens said, and the woman said she didn’t tell her fiance about the alleged incident for several days.

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Shreveport Louisiana Police Officer Jecarlous Colbert Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Trying To Solicit A Whore

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA – A Shreveport officer has been charged with one count of solicitation of prostitution in connection with a complaint received by the department.

Shreveport Police investigators received information over the past several weeks a police officer was involved in the solicitation of prostitution, Police Spokesman Sgt. Bill Goodin said.

Undercover vice agents with the department’s Office of Special Investigations were notified and investigated the allegations, Goodin said.

Agents obtained an arrest warrant charging the suspect, 25-year-old Jecarlous Colbert, with one count of solicitation of prostitution. Colbert was off-duty when the alleged offense occurred, Goodin said.

Colbert was taken into custody this afternoon at the Shreveport Police Complex and is being interviewed by vice officers at this time, Goodin said.

Colbert will be booked into the Caddo Correctional Center following those interviews. His bond has been set at $4,000.

Colbert, who joined the Shreveport Police Department in July of 2010, was immediately placed on paid administrative leave by Chief of Police Willie Shaw who has ordered an administrative investigation as well.

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Crazed Orleans Parish Louisiana Cotina Holmes Arrested And Suspended After Boarding School Bus And Threatening Her Son With Her Gun

ORLEANS PARISH, LOUISIANA – An Orleans Parish sheriff’s deputy has been booked with aggravated assault for allegedly boarding a school bus and brandishing a gun at her 16-year-old son.

Police spokeswoman Shereese Harper said the deputy was in uniform when she boarded the bus Thursday morning. When she got off the bus, the driver called police, Harper said Saturday.

Police later arrested 38-year-old Cotina Holmes and booked her with one count of aggravated assault.

Sheriff Marlin Gusman later issued a news release saying she was suspended from duty, pending an internal investigation and the outcome of the court case.

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Shreveport Louisiana Police Officer Pat Hensley Arrested, Suspended, Charged With DWI In Patrol Car

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA – An off-duty Shreveport police officer was arrested today and charged with DWI – apparently while driving his assigned patrol car.

Officer Pat Hensley was arrested at about 2:52 p.m. after officers found him in the 1100-block of Foster Street.

Officers arrived on the scene after a caller notifed the department about a marked police car parked in the middle of the street. The caller reported the driver appeared to be disoriented.

Hensley, who joined the department in July 2006, was arrested and booked into Shreveport City Jail. He is charged with one count of first offense DWI.

Chief Willie Shaw has placed Hensley on paid administrative leave pending an administrative investigation.

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Attack Dog Use During Arrests Suspended After New Orleans Louisiana Police Officer Jason Lewis Killed Dog By Leaving It In His Hot Car

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – New Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas has suspended the use of K-9 police dogs during the apprehension of suspects.

In a press release, a spokeswoman for the NOPD said the following:

“After review by the ongoing study being conducted by the Department of Justice, Superintendent Serpas received information that the apprehension area of the N.O.P.D. K-9 Division showed deficiencies. Superintendent Serpas immediately suspended the use of N.O.P.D. apprehension dogs pending appropriate training. The remaining use of K-9 dogs for narcotic investigations and those for bomb detection will continue their present working status. In the event an apprehension K-9 dog is needed, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office has agreed to assist in this area.”

The mandate from Serpas comes in the wake of a guilty plea by NOPD Officer Jason Lewis, who pled guilty to one count of animal cruelty in the death of his K-9.

It is not yet known whether the order from Serpas is related to the case of former officer Lewis.

Lewis recently agreed to pay $11,500 in restitution to the police department, the cost of replacing Primo, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, who died at a veterinarian’s office after suffering apparent heat stroke in Lewis’ vehicle.

Lewis pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty on Sept. 1.

The dog’s death caused an uproar last summer.

Criminal District Judge Terry Alarcon sentenced Lewis to probation and a suspended six-month jail term. On Friday, the court approved the restitution.

The police department found no wrongdoing by Lewis, and argued the car was equipped with a cooling device aimed at caring for a dog’s body temperature.

During the investigation, NOPD officers suggested the dog had another medical problem, or perhaps had become over-excited for some unknown reason.

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Hospital Security Guards Beat And Taser Man Having Epileptic Seizure – Who Happens To Be Nephew Of US Supreme Court Judge…

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is reportedly “outraged” after security guards at a New Orleans-area hospital were accused of punching and tasing his epileptic nephew, a news report states.

Derek Thomas was admitted to West Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Thursday, after a possible suicide attempt, reports ABC affiliate WGNO.

When the Supreme Court justice’s nephew refused to put on a hospital gown and said he wanted to leave the hospital, doctors ordered security to restrain him.

Security guards “punched him in his lip, pulled out more than a fistful of his dreadlocks and tasered him to restrain him,” a statement from Thomas’ family said.

Shortly afterwards, family members say, Thomas suffered a “massive epileptic seizure.”
Story continues below…

The station reported that an “outraged” Justice Thomas is headed to Louisiana to look into his nephew’s condition.

Members of Derek Thomas’ family are trying to have him transferred to another hospital, but as of Friday afternoon, he was reportedly still a patient at West Jefferson.

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Grand Isle Louisiana Police Arrest Man For Wading In Water At Beach

GRAND ISLE, LOUISIANA – The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says a man has been arrested for swimming in waters shut down because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

WAFB-TV reported Sunday that Grand Isle Police took 22-year-old Jesus Mares, of College Station, Texas, into custody around 7:30 a.m. after he was caught wading in the water just off the beach.

The state Department of Environmental Quality shut down the beach after it was declared hazardous and unsafe for swimming. Authorities say because of contaminants on his body, Mares had to be taken to a decontamination unit on Grand Isle. He was then booked with criminal trespassing and remaining after being forbidden.

Mares was later released on $200 bond.

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Lawsuit Charges New Orleans Louisiana Police Officer With Harassing Man, Threatening To Arrest Him For Wearing A Skirt To Court

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A man sued the New Orleans Police Department, claiming he was harassed by an officer who threatened to arrest him for wearing a black pinstriped skirt to municipal court. Jeremy Don Kerr is asking for $1 in damages, a ruling that his rights were violated, and an order against barring access to public facilities because of gender stereotyping.

The department hasn’t been served with the lawsuit and hasn’t answered the claim in court.

Kerr filed the civil rights lawsuit last month. He said he finds skirts more comfortable than pants, and wears them with button-down oxfords or T-shirts.

And he said women love it.

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Lawsuit Charges New Orleans Louisiana Police Officer With Harassing Man, Threatening To Arrest Him For Wearing A Skirt To Court

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A man sued the New Orleans Police Department, claiming he was harassed by an officer who threatened to arrest him for wearing a black pinstriped skirt to municipal court. Jeremy Don Kerr is asking for $1 in damages, a ruling that his rights were violated, and an order against barring access to public facilities because of gender stereotyping.

The department hasn’t been served with the lawsuit and hasn’t answered the claim in court.

Kerr filed the civil rights lawsuit last month. He said he finds skirts more comfortable than pants, and wears them with button-down oxfords or T-shirts.

And he said women love it.

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West Baton Rouge Parish Police Officer Joseph W. Anderson Gets Special Treatment After Drunken Wreck – Checkered Past Included Other Incidents

BRUSLY, LOUISIANA — A crash on Choctaw Road this week in which a West Baton Rouge Parish reserve officer struck two trees and landed upside down in a front yard was mishandled by a young sheriff’s deputy who failed to have the driver tested for possible alcohol use, West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Mike Cazes said.

“It was a young deputy that made an error,” Cazes said, explaining why the vehicle’s driver, Joseph W. Anderson, wasn’t cited for any violations or tested for alcohol even though residents who rushed to the crash scene said full and empty beer bottles tumbled from his truck.

Cazes confirmed Anderson holds a commission from the Sheriff’s Office to work as a uniformed reserve deputy, meaning he volunteers to go out on patrols with other deputies when needed. Anderson’s brother is the police chief in Addis.

The single-vehicle crash involving Anderson, who formerly worked for the Brusly Police Department and Port Allen City Marshal’s Office, occurred shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, police reports show. See Report.

Angela Covington said she was in her front yard on Choctaw Road with her toddler when Anderson’s 1996 Toyota 4-Runner came swerving down the two-lane road. It plowed into two trees in a neighbor’s yard across the street, flipping at least three times before coming to rest on its roof, she said.

“My son was terrified,” Covington said. “It scared the daylights out of him. I thought whoever was driving that thing had to be dead.”

However, Anderson, 38, suffered only minor injuries. He was treated and released from the hospital the same evening, police said.

Richard Hebert Jr., one of the first neighbors to arrive after the crash, said there were “multiple beer bottles” — some full and some empty — inside and around Anderson’s truck. Some were “cold to the touch,” he said.

“His arm was underneath the vehicle,” Hebert said. “We had to move beer bottles out of the way to lift the vehicle.”

Hebert’s roommate, Ashley Garrard, who arrived at the scene shortly after Hebert, also said he saw a beer bottle in the truck by Anderson’s hand. He said he didn’t notice if there were other bottles lying around.

Cazes said Choctaw Road is a state road and the accident ordinarily would have been handled by State Police. But no trooper was available, so a sheriff’s deputy working the area, Ryan Polansky, was dispatched to handle it, Cazes said.

Polansky’s report makes no mention of any beer bottles at the scene. He checked the box for “unknown” on whether alcohol or drug involvement was suspected as a factor in the crash.

In an interview, Polansky said he saw only one beer bottle, inside the mangled truck, and if there were more, they must have been removed before he got there.

“When I got there, he was already laid out on the ground,” Polansky said. “Due to the injuries he received, I couldn’t tell if he was intoxicated or not.”

Given the circumstances of the crash, normal procedure would have been for the deputy to go to the hospital with a kit that is used to test for blood-alcohol content, Cazes said.

The sheriff said Polansky, who has been working as a deputy for less than six months, made a mistake.

“Nobody’s trying to cover anything up,” Cazes said.

Calls to a phone number for Anderson listed on the accident report went unanswered Wednesday and Thursday. Attempts to reach him through a relative were also unsuccessful.

His brother, Addis Police Chief Ricky Anderson, said he went to the scene more than an hour after the accident and talked to the deputy. But he said he sought no favors for his brother.

“I told him I was not involved in it and to do whatever he needs to do,” Ricky Anderson said. “When it comes to family, I will not pull strings to get anybody out of anything.”

Polansky also said Ricky Anderson sought no favorable treatment for his brother.

Ricky Anderson said his brother has been in treatment for alcoholism in the past. But the police chief added he did not know if his brother consumed alcohol prior to Monday’s accident.

“If he was intoxicated to the point of it being evident, he should have been tested and treated like anybody else,” Ricky Anderson said.

Joseph Anderson worked for the Brusly Police Department until a little over a year ago. Brusly Police Chief Jamie Whaley said Joseph Anderson resigned shortly after an incident in which he was pulled over by State Police.

Ricky Anderson said his brother was stopped by State Police for speeding at that time, not for driving under the influence.

“He was stopped for speeding and they had someone pick him up,” Ricky Anderson said. “That was over a year ago.”

After leaving the Brusly Police Department, Joseph Anderson worked for a time at the Port Allen City Marshal’s Office.

City Marshal Mike Zito said “an off-duty incident,” which he declined to describe in more detail, led to Anderson’s departure from the Marshal’s Office about six months ago.

Zito said he told Anderson he needed to “take about six months off to get yourself straight.”

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West Baton Rouge Parish Police Officer Joseph W. Anderson Gets Special Treatment After Drunken Wreck – Checkered Past Included Other Incidents

BRUSLY, LOUISIANA — A crash on Choctaw Road this week in which a West Baton Rouge Parish reserve officer struck two trees and landed upside down in a front yard was mishandled by a young sheriff’s deputy who failed to have the driver tested for possible alcohol use, West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Mike Cazes said.

“It was a young deputy that made an error,” Cazes said, explaining why the vehicle’s driver, Joseph W. Anderson, wasn’t cited for any violations or tested for alcohol even though residents who rushed to the crash scene said full and empty beer bottles tumbled from his truck.

Cazes confirmed Anderson holds a commission from the Sheriff’s Office to work as a uniformed reserve deputy, meaning he volunteers to go out on patrols with other deputies when needed. Anderson’s brother is the police chief in Addis.

The single-vehicle crash involving Anderson, who formerly worked for the Brusly Police Department and Port Allen City Marshal’s Office, occurred shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, police reports show. See Report.

Angela Covington said she was in her front yard on Choctaw Road with her toddler when Anderson’s 1996 Toyota 4-Runner came swerving down the two-lane road. It plowed into two trees in a neighbor’s yard across the street, flipping at least three times before coming to rest on its roof, she said.

“My son was terrified,” Covington said. “It scared the daylights out of him. I thought whoever was driving that thing had to be dead.”

However, Anderson, 38, suffered only minor injuries. He was treated and released from the hospital the same evening, police said.

Richard Hebert Jr., one of the first neighbors to arrive after the crash, said there were “multiple beer bottles” — some full and some empty — inside and around Anderson’s truck. Some were “cold to the touch,” he said.

“His arm was underneath the vehicle,” Hebert said. “We had to move beer bottles out of the way to lift the vehicle.”

Hebert’s roommate, Ashley Garrard, who arrived at the scene shortly after Hebert, also said he saw a beer bottle in the truck by Anderson’s hand. He said he didn’t notice if there were other bottles lying around.

Cazes said Choctaw Road is a state road and the accident ordinarily would have been handled by State Police. But no trooper was available, so a sheriff’s deputy working the area, Ryan Polansky, was dispatched to handle it, Cazes said.

Polansky’s report makes no mention of any beer bottles at the scene. He checked the box for “unknown” on whether alcohol or drug involvement was suspected as a factor in the crash.

In an interview, Polansky said he saw only one beer bottle, inside the mangled truck, and if there were more, they must have been removed before he got there.

“When I got there, he was already laid out on the ground,” Polansky said. “Due to the injuries he received, I couldn’t tell if he was intoxicated or not.”

Given the circumstances of the crash, normal procedure would have been for the deputy to go to the hospital with a kit that is used to test for blood-alcohol content, Cazes said.

The sheriff said Polansky, who has been working as a deputy for less than six months, made a mistake.

“Nobody’s trying to cover anything up,” Cazes said.

Calls to a phone number for Anderson listed on the accident report went unanswered Wednesday and Thursday. Attempts to reach him through a relative were also unsuccessful.

His brother, Addis Police Chief Ricky Anderson, said he went to the scene more than an hour after the accident and talked to the deputy. But he said he sought no favors for his brother.

“I told him I was not involved in it and to do whatever he needs to do,” Ricky Anderson said. “When it comes to family, I will not pull strings to get anybody out of anything.”

Polansky also said Ricky Anderson sought no favorable treatment for his brother.

Ricky Anderson said his brother has been in treatment for alcoholism in the past. But the police chief added he did not know if his brother consumed alcohol prior to Monday’s accident.

“If he was intoxicated to the point of it being evident, he should have been tested and treated like anybody else,” Ricky Anderson said.

Joseph Anderson worked for the Brusly Police Department until a little over a year ago. Brusly Police Chief Jamie Whaley said Joseph Anderson resigned shortly after an incident in which he was pulled over by State Police.

Ricky Anderson said his brother was stopped by State Police for speeding at that time, not for driving under the influence.

“He was stopped for speeding and they had someone pick him up,” Ricky Anderson said. “That was over a year ago.”

After leaving the Brusly Police Department, Joseph Anderson worked for a time at the Port Allen City Marshal’s Office.

City Marshal Mike Zito said “an off-duty incident,” which he declined to describe in more detail, led to Anderson’s departure from the Marshal’s Office about six months ago.

Zito said he told Anderson he needed to “take about six months off to get yourself straight.”

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85% Of Sulphur Louisiana Voters Reject Speed Cameras – Dispite Profiting Company Redflex Traffic System’s Claims That Public Wants An Automated Screwing

SULPHUR, LOUISIANA – In a special election yesterday, a Southern Louisiana city of 22,000 overwhelmingly rejected photo enforcement. Asked, “Shall Ordinance No. 873, M-C Series adopting automated speed enforcement for the City of Sulphur, Louisiana, be repealed?” eighty-six percent of voters said “Yes.” After results are certified on April 13, the Australian speed camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems will be sent packing.

Sulphur’s ballot box totals contrast sharply with public opinion survey results published by traffic camera vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS). A review of ATS contracting arrangements with municipalities showed that ATS-sponsored polling is regularly offered as part of a suite of marketing services intended to promote the sale of automated ticketing machines. In a March 17 press release, for example, ATS insisted that camera opponents were the minority.

“A recent survey shows two-thirds of Missourians support police photo traffic enforcement using red-light cameras — but that many of those supportive Missourians mistakenly assume the technology is not favored by most of their neighbors,” the ATS release stated. “By a remarkable 66 percent to 30 percent margin, voters supported red light cameras.”

In January, ATS hired Public Opinion Strategies to generate a similar survey showing 63 percent of Arizona voters supported speed cameras. Although traffic cameras frequently enjoy enthusiastic support in public opinion research sponsored by the industry, they have never once succeeded with voters on election day.

Real voters in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected red light cameras last November. Seventy-six percent of Steubenville, Ohio residents rejected photo radar in 2006. In less recent votes, speed cameras lost by a two-to-one margin in Peoria, Arizona and Batavia, Illinois. Anchorage, Alaska also rejected a photo radar program in 1997.

The next referendum on automated ticketing is set for Chillicothe, Ohio where enthusiastic residents succeeded in gathering more than double the amount of signatures required to qualify for the ballot. Additional votes are possible as the group CameraFraud.com is currently working to put photo enforcement up for a statewide vote in Arizona and the Coalition Opposed to Spending and Taxes is working on a petition in Toledo, Ohio.

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85% Of Sulphur Louisiana Voters Reject Speed Cameras – Dispite Profiting Company Redflex Traffic System’s Claims That Public Wants An Automated Screwing

SULPHUR, LOUISIANA – In a special election yesterday, a Southern Louisiana city of 22,000 overwhelmingly rejected photo enforcement. Asked, “Shall Ordinance No. 873, M-C Series adopting automated speed enforcement for the City of Sulphur, Louisiana, be repealed?” eighty-six percent of voters said “Yes.” After results are certified on April 13, the Australian speed camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems will be sent packing.

Sulphur’s ballot box totals contrast sharply with public opinion survey results published by traffic camera vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS). A review of ATS contracting arrangements with municipalities showed that ATS-sponsored polling is regularly offered as part of a suite of marketing services intended to promote the sale of automated ticketing machines. In a March 17 press release, for example, ATS insisted that camera opponents were the minority.

“A recent survey shows two-thirds of Missourians support police photo traffic enforcement using red-light cameras — but that many of those supportive Missourians mistakenly assume the technology is not favored by most of their neighbors,” the ATS release stated. “By a remarkable 66 percent to 30 percent margin, voters supported red light cameras.”

In January, ATS hired Public Opinion Strategies to generate a similar survey showing 63 percent of Arizona voters supported speed cameras. Although traffic cameras frequently enjoy enthusiastic support in public opinion research sponsored by the industry, they have never once succeeded with voters on election day.

Real voters in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected red light cameras last November. Seventy-six percent of Steubenville, Ohio residents rejected photo radar in 2006. In less recent votes, speed cameras lost by a two-to-one margin in Peoria, Arizona and Batavia, Illinois. Anchorage, Alaska also rejected a photo radar program in 1997.

The next referendum on automated ticketing is set for Chillicothe, Ohio where enthusiastic residents succeeded in gathering more than double the amount of signatures required to qualify for the ballot. Additional votes are possible as the group CameraFraud.com is currently working to put photo enforcement up for a statewide vote in Arizona and the Coalition Opposed to Spending and Taxes is working on a petition in Toledo, Ohio.

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Crazed Waterproof Louisiana Police Chief Miles Jenkins And Mayor Bobby Higginbotham Arrested, Charged After Running Federally Funded Speed Trap Town

WATERPROOF, LOUISIANA – The mayor and police chief of a federally funded Louisiana speed trap town were arrested Wednesday on felony corruption charges. A Tensas Parish Grand Jury indicted Waterproof Mayor Bobby Higginbotham for felony theft, malfeasance in office, payroll fraud and using public funds for personal use. Waterproof Police Chief Miles Jenkins faces three felony counts for receiving bonuses for meeting traffic ticket quotas and altering traffic citations. The activities of both officials were fueled by federal taxpayer dollars.

In 2007, Higginbotham received $37,500 from the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program for the purchase of two police cars fully equipped with the latest speed detection equipment. Higginbotham ordered Miles to use these vehicles to prey on State Highway 65 travelers as the speed limit dropped without warning to 45 MPH within the town limits.

“They have the nicest police cars in Louisiana,” one commenter on the National Motorists Association Speed Trap Exchange website observed. “However they are the most unprofessionally dressed cops I’ve ever seen.”

Even before the arrival of the new cruisers, Waterproof earned 37 percent of its budget from speeding tickets, according to a 2007 report by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Higginbotham and Jenkins are out on bond awaiting trial. Louisiana State Police officials say the investigation into their activities is ongoing.

Appeared Here

Crazed Waterproof Louisiana Police Chief Miles Jenkins And Mayor Bobby Higginbotham Arrested, Charged After Running Federally Funded Speed Trap Town

WATERPROOF, LOUISIANA – The mayor and police chief of a federally funded Louisiana speed trap town were arrested Wednesday on felony corruption charges. A Tensas Parish Grand Jury indicted Waterproof Mayor Bobby Higginbotham for felony theft, malfeasance in office, payroll fraud and using public funds for personal use. Waterproof Police Chief Miles Jenkins faces three felony counts for receiving bonuses for meeting traffic ticket quotas and altering traffic citations. The activities of both officials were fueled by federal taxpayer dollars.

In 2007, Higginbotham received $37,500 from the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program for the purchase of two police cars fully equipped with the latest speed detection equipment. Higginbotham ordered Miles to use these vehicles to prey on State Highway 65 travelers as the speed limit dropped without warning to 45 MPH within the town limits.

“They have the nicest police cars in Louisiana,” one commenter on the National Motorists Association Speed Trap Exchange website observed. “However they are the most unprofessionally dressed cops I’ve ever seen.”

Even before the arrival of the new cruisers, Waterproof earned 37 percent of its budget from speeding tickets, according to a 2007 report by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Higginbotham and Jenkins are out on bond awaiting trial. Louisiana State Police officials say the investigation into their activities is ongoing.

Appeared Here

Louisiana U.S. Border Patrol Officer Merlin Mireles Arrested, Charged After Hiring Wetback Housekeeper

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — A federal Customs and Border Protection officer and his mother have been indicted on charges they harbored illegal immigrants on their property in suburban New Orleans.

Federal prosecutors say 39-year-old Merlin Mireles drove a Mexican woman and her two children from Texas to Metairie after they illegally entered the U.S. Mireles and his mother, 66-year-old Gloria Mireles, allegedly gave the woman and her family places to live in exchange for her performing housekeeping chores.

Gloria Mireles also allegedly helped the woman get a part-time job and helped enroll her children in public schools.

A three-count indictment handed up Friday against Mireles and her son includes a conspiracy charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Merlin Mireles was a border officer assigned to Port of Progreso, Texas.

Appeared Here

Louisiana U.S. Border Patrol Officer Merlin Mireles Arrested, Charged After Hiring Wetback Housekeeper

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — A federal Customs and Border Protection officer and his mother have been indicted on charges they harbored illegal immigrants on their property in suburban New Orleans.

Federal prosecutors say 39-year-old Merlin Mireles drove a Mexican woman and her two children from Texas to Metairie after they illegally entered the U.S. Mireles and his mother, 66-year-old Gloria Mireles, allegedly gave the woman and her family places to live in exchange for her performing housekeeping chores.

Gloria Mireles also allegedly helped the woman get a part-time job and helped enroll her children in public schools.

A three-count indictment handed up Friday against Mireles and her son includes a conspiracy charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Merlin Mireles was a border officer assigned to Port of Progreso, Texas.

Appeared Here