La. Woman Won't Be Prosecuted for Looting

[Rose Siding]

GRETNA, La. -- A church deaconess and great-grandmother jailed for two weeks after being accused of looting sausage during Hurricane Katrina will not be prosecuted.
......
Kenner police spokesman Capt. James Gallagher said he was surprised the charge was refused.

"We thought it was a valid case, but we don't have any control over what the DA does," he said.

Maten had evacuated New Orleans with her disabled 80-year-old husband to a hotel in suburban Kenner. On Aug. 30, the day after Katrina hit, police arrested her, saying they saw her carrying beer and sausage out of a looted store.

But Maten said she was retrieving clothing and sausage from the trunk of her car in the hotel's parking lot. Family and eyewitnesses insisted she had not been looting and said the officers cuffed her in frustration, unable to catch younger looters.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/13/AR2006011300707.html

[Crazy Dave]

1. That story infuriated me.

It was so pathetic what they did to that woman.

[Benhurst]

2. Good news. NT

[...of J.Temperance]

3. She had to loot...to stay alive...people need food to LIVE

She should never have been arrested...the bastards for arresting her.

On Edit: Dammit spelling error.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Hey, Capt. Gallagher,

the DA didn't prosecute because he realized how bad a case this is. Consider the age of the woman, the times, and the huge numbers of obvious looters who weren't caught..... and I bet the DA is an elected office.....

[Catherine Vincent]

5. This just ticks me off.

Even if she did steal the sausage. So fucking what? This was an emergency. And as far as the beer, so fucking what again! Maybe they couldn't find water, they had to drink something unless the cops rather they drink that polluted water in the streets. There should never be any excuse for stealing except for cases like these. I can't believe they had this old women in jail for two fucking weeks! :mad:

[Horse with no Name]

7. It pissed me off too

She was arrested simply because she was black.
The food was in her car. It was hers. She was arrested and detained for eating food that she took to a hotel in her car.

[NorthernSpy]

6. metro New Orleans PDs are little more than criminal organizations

Testimony from the NOPD is about as credible as testimony from a Columbian death squad. Ditto for the PDs of the surrounding burgs.

Police forces just don't get any worse than these. I'm for firing the entire lot of them and starting fresh with uncorrupted recruits.


Bleh.

[NorthernSpy]

8. but look who IS charged with looting: Mermentau police chief, officer!

Those smug, 'white-folks-don't-loot' racists will certainly enjoy this press release... er, no they won't!

http://www.ag.state.la.us/ViewPressRel.aspx?RelID=424

Mermentau Police Chief and Officer Arrested for Looting

October 10, 2005: (Baton Rouge, LA)—Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., announced today that two law enforcement officials sworn to uphold the law in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina have been arrested and charged with looting, felony theft and malfeasance in office.

Mermentau Police Chief Jeremy Joseph Leblanc and Mermentau Police Officer Hollins Burt Trahan were arrested on Friday, October 7, 2005. Leblanc and Trahan are each charged with two counts of Looting, two counts of Felony Theft, and Malfeasance in Office. Leblanc and Trahan were booked into Acadia Parish Jail as fugitives, subsequently transported to New Orleans, and booked for the above referenced charges. Bond has been set at $35,000 for each suspect. The Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation and arrests.

Special Agents with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office allege that Leblanc and Trahan, while dressed in Mermentau police uniforms and acting in the capacity of police officers, stole a box of Ray Ban sunglasses and two suede/leather sports coats from Saks Fifth Avenue, valued in excess of $1,000.00. Special Agents further allege that Leblanc and Trahan stole approximately 23 t-shirts from the Jean Lafitte Gift Shop on Bourbon Street valued at roughly $200.00.

“It disappoints me that two law enforcement officers who were supposed to be keeping law and order allegedly took advantage of a dire situation and stole from the very businesses they were supposed to be protecting. My office will continue to investigate cases of looting and, if appropriate, arrest and charge those who we believe broke the law,” said General Foti.

“I also want to remind everyone that although these individuals have been charged, they should be considered innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” General Foti added.

Looting carries a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years and/or a fine up to $10,000.00. The possible sentence for malfeasance in office is imprisonment up to five years and/or a fine up to $5,000.00. Felony theft carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine up to $3000.00.

Funny thing about this particular incident: the reaction back in Mermentau. From a KATC story (possibly no longer available) that I grabbed at the time:

Monday night, town leaders appointed Donald Bertrand who was Leblanc's assistant chief. Residents packed the room which is typically empty during any other council meeting. Councilwoman Darla Istre praised Leblanc for the job he's done in Mermentau. "I know Jeremy did some things that weren't right, but ya'll, I have not had one complaint from any citizen in Mermentau about him. If anything, he cleaned this town up." The room of about 40 resident broke out in applause.

Then Mermentau resident, Doris Trahan accused Mayor Myrtis Gautreaux for having it in for the chief in trouble. Trahan said, "The way you and Donny (newly appointed chief) handled this, ya'll did that maliciously for the hatred in your heart, Myrtis. Coming from your own son's mouth, you were going to bury Jeremy Leblanc. This could have been handled right here in Mermentau. You could have had that boy's badge, and it could have been done with." Others, who did not speak out at the meeting tell KATC they were not satisfied with how LeBlanc ran the police department.

Oh, my! They're discussing these men as though they were human beings succumbing to temptation under abnormal circumstances. Whatever happened to "shoot 'em on sight"?