By Nicholas Chrastil | The Lens | March 29, 2021 The state of Louisiana has set arrest “targets” for the New Orleans Police Department as part of a federally funded grant program meant to boost traffic enforcement — possibly violating laws against quotas, according to lawyers who spoke to The Lens. Similar grants have gone…
By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 26, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -A rat is trapped in a cage, doused with lighter fluid, and set on fire. While experts say the act is disturbing enough, they say what’s being said in the background on the social media post raises the level of…
By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 24, 2021 NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – In his first month in office, Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams dismissed 415 criminal cases. Of those cases, more than 800 charges were dismissed. “It’s alarming. I haven’t seen numbers like this even after Katrina,” says Rafael Goyeneche. Rafael Goyeneche of the…
By Nicholas Chrastil | The Lens | March 18, 2021 Years after previous efforts were scrapped due to poor oversight, lack of clear procedures, technological failures, and funding disputes, city officials in New Orleans are once again looking to set up an electronic monitoring program run by public agencies — in partnership with a private…
By Liz Reyes | WVUE | March 17, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The spike in violent crimes has many more women in the metro New Orleans area worried about their safety and the safety of their families. They cite the media reports of burglaries, robberies, and carjackings; the most recent fatal…
By Matt Sledge | NOLA.com | March 12, 2021 While his predecessor made do with a $152,500 annual salary, newly elected Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has given himself a 22% pay bump that puts his compensation in line with other top prosecutors in Louisiana. Williams now earns $185,000, less than north shore District…
By Mike Perlstein/WWL Staff | WWL-TV| March 12, 2021 CHARLES PARISH, La. — Ever since construction worker Brady Ortego was struck by a hit-and-run driver on the Hale Boggs Bridge and sent flying into the river, his widow Adele has been waiting for a phone call from the State Police. After waiting nearly eight weeks,…
By Mike Perlstein | WWL-TV | March 5, 2021 LULING, La. — The driver in the Jan. 14 fatal hit-and-run accident on the Hale Boggs Bridge has been identified in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Friday on behalf of the victim’s widow and stepdaughter. The suit filed names Hunter Johnson, 22, of Reserve as the…
By ArLuther Lee | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | March 5, 2021 A New Orleans judge will take another week to decide whether the man who shot and killed former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith will be granted bond after an emotional virtual court hearing Thursday. Cardell Hayes, who gunned down Smith in 2016 after…
By Natasha Robin | WVUE | March 4, 2021 CLICK FOR VIDEO NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – When police arrested a juvenile on Tuesday, they say they found a stolen black Glock, a rifle and several rounds of bullets. “Something is definitely wrong if a juvenile can have his hands on those types of weapons,” says…