Author Archives : Various

He Was Filming on His Phone. Then a Deputy Attacked Him and Charged Him With Resisting Arrest.

This article was originally co-published by WRKF and WWNO and The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune on December 22, 2021. See full article online. Police can arrest people for “cover charges,” like resisting arrest, to justify their use of excessive force and shield themselves from liability. In Jefferson Parish, 73% of the time someone is arrestedRead More

Oft-investigated 2005 death, ruled overdose at time, now subject of federal grand jury probe

This article was originally published by The New Orleans Advocate on September 29, 2019. See full article online. A 23-year-old man lay face down in his Lakeview bedroom, out cold. Foam bubbled around his mouth. Pill bottles were scattered about. Joey Georgusis was declared dead at the hospital that day in August 2005. His girlfriendRead More

Woman, arrested after JPSO deputies killed her boyfriend in 2016, pleads guilty to misdemeanor

This article was originally published by The New Orleans Advocate on June 6, 2019. See full article online. The woman who was with her boyfriend the night Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies shot him to death in New Orleans in 2016 after a chase across the river recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in connection withRead More

St. Bernard sheriff pays out $200K in sex abuse claim against deputy, who remains on staff

This article was originally published by The New Orleans Advocate on June 10, 2019. See full article online. St. Bernard Parish Sheriff James Pohlmann in March settled for $200,000 a lawsuit brought by a teenage girl who claimed she was subjected to persistent sexual abuse by a St. Bernard jail deputy. The settlement, which has notRead More

Gang violence, deputies’ indifference commonplace in Tangipahoa jail: lawsuit

This article was originally published by The Times-Picayune on January 11, 2019. See full article online. By Robert Rhoden – The Times-Picayune A former Tangipahoa Parish jail inmate has filed a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Daniel Edwards and others, claiming he was badly beaten in the jail, describing it as an institution where gang dominance,Read More

New Orleans jail staffers ignored dying man’s cries for help, lawsuit charges

This article was originally published by The Advocate on September 4, 2018. See full article online. By Matt Sledge- The Advocate Narada Mealey entered the New Orleans jail last October accused of missing a court date over $420 in unpaid court costs he owed in Jefferson Parish for marijuana possession. He left the lockup twoRead More

Video shows JPSO deputies ram car into fleeing suspect; lawsuit alleges excessive force

This article was originally published by The Advocate on September 27, 2018. See full article online. By Ramon Antonio Vargas- The Advocate A man who says he was beaten by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotics agents last year has filed a lawsuit demanding damages from members of the agency, including two deputies involved in theRead More

New Orleans Saints ordered to cough up $400K in dispute with Tom Benson’s former personal aide

This article was originally published by The Advocate on July 26, 2018 at 3:00PM. See full article online By Ramon Antonio Vargas – The Advocate The New Orleans Saints violated federal labor law by failing to pay overtime wages to the former personal assistant of late owner Tom Benson, according to an NFL arbitrator whoRead More

Slidell man sues St. Tammany sheriff, ex-deputy over fabricated field sobriety test

This article was originally published by The Advocate on May 25, 2018. See full article online. By Sara Pagones – The Advocate Ryan Heyd, whose DWI case was thrown out when a friend’s cellphone video contradicted what a deputy claimed a field sobriety test showed, is now suing in federal court over his 2016 arrest, claimingRead More