...The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office made it clear to police that there wasn't a criminal case to be made against the estranged wife of a police officer for breaking into their home last spring. That should have ended the threat of arrest for Katrina Joseph...
NEW ORLEANS POLICE OFFICER'S EX-WIFE CRYING FOUL AFTER ARREST DURING CHILDREN'S FIELD TRIP
The Times-Picayune
by Laura Maggi
Monday September 14, 2009, 7:49 PM
[Excerpts] Despite a warning from prosecutors that they wouldn't pursue the case, New Orleans police kept in place a burglary warrant for a woman in the midst of a contentious divorce with a veteran officer - leading to the woman's arrest and detention in Washington as she chaperoned a children's field trip to the White House... Joseph's estranged husband, Sgt. Willie Davis, accused her of burglarizing their home in April. Joseph fully admits breaking the window of a patio door and removing furniture and other items that she said are hers. But she said that happened only because Davis changed the locks the day before. The Orleans Parish district attorney's office agreed that Joseph's actions didn't rise to the level of a prosecutable offense, and last month, prosecutors refused to file simple burglary and possession of stolen goods charges, saying the matter should be settled in civil court... The legal battle between Willie Davis and Joseph began last year, when he filed for divorce. The two argued for months about who should have use of their Algiers home, finally agreeing in a Sept. 29 consent judgment that Davis would be the sole occupant of the house, Joseph said. But that very same day, Joseph said, she and her husband went to lunch. They agreed to try to work things out, and she moved back into the house... In April, Joseph decided to move out, saying she and Davis were no longer getting along. Davis knew she wanted to move her possessions out, Joseph said. When she arrived at the house on a Friday and found the locks changed, she decided to break in and take her things... [Full article here]
NEW ORLEANS POLICE OFFICER IN CONTENTIOUS DIVORCE IS ABUSING HIS POWER AGAINST WIFE, HER ATTORNEY SAYS
by Laura Maggi, The Times-Picayune
Tuesday September 15, 2009, 7:13 AM
[Excerpts] Despite a warning from prosecutors that they wouldn't pursue the case, New Orleans police kept in place a burglary warrant for a woman in the midst of a contentious divorce with a veteran officer - leading to the woman's arrest and detention in Washington as she chaperoned a children's field trip to the White House. It was a humiliating experience that Katrina Joseph's attorney called an abuse of police power. "I don't think the police would have issued a warrant for arrest if these were two civilians, " Clifton Davis III said... The district attorney's office formally refused the charges against Joseph several weeks ago. Since then, Anthony Radosti with the Metropolitan Crime Commission has asked Deputy Chief Bruce Adams with PIB to reinvestigate the case... [Full article here]
EDITORIAL:
NEW ORLEANS POLICE SHOULD EXPLAIN WHY WARRANT ON OFFICER'S WIFE WAS NOT RECALLED
The Times-Picayune
September 16, 2009 6:04AM
[Excerpts] The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office made it clear to police that there wasn't a criminal case to be made against the estranged wife of a police officer for breaking into their home last spring. That should have ended the threat of arrest for Katrina Joseph. But she got arrested anyway -- while waiting in line with children to visit the White House. The New Orleans Police Department needs to explain why it did not act more quickly to recall her arrest warrant... The Police Department needs to answer that question and ensure that what happened to Ms. Joseph was not motivated by any partiality toward her husband. But so far, the department has only issued a written statement saying that Sgt. Davis is involved in a "complicated divorce proceeding" and that the Public Integrity Bureau is investigating several allegations made by his wife... The Public Integrity Bureau needs to find out why the Police Department didn't promptly recall the arrest warrant when it became clear that prosecutors were not going to pursue the case. [Full article here]
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