NEW ORLEANS — Former Orleans Parish Communications District Executive Director Tyrell Morris entered a not-guilty plea at an arraignment hearing Wednesday. He faces four charges, all stemming from a wreck he was involved in last year that prosecutors allege he attempted to cover up.
“We intend to test the legal sufficiency of the case at this point,” Morris’ attorney said in a brief statement to reporters outside the courthouse. Morris stood behind, occasionally nodding or shaking his head in response to questions but staying silent.
Video obtained by WWL Louisiana shows Morris driving down Elysian Fields Avenue on May 7 of last year in a taxpayer-provided SUV. He then veers into another car. The driver later told the state’s Office of the Inspector General that Morris flashed his emergency lights as he pulled behind him, questioned him about his license and insurance, then threatened to call “another cop.” Morris was not a police officer himself.
After the crash, Morris did not take a drug and alcohol test, which was required under OPCD policy. He later sent WWL Louisiana a doctored version of the policy, stating the test would have only been required if injuries were reported in the crash. Metadata shows the document was edited days after the crash.
Morris later filed an insurance claim alleging that the other driver was at fault. He is also charged with firing former City Councilmember Jared Brossett, then an OPCD employee after Morris accused Brossett of leaking information about the incident.
“It would be a big deal if this were a plumber or an electrician. It's an even bigger deal when the person who committed these actions was the head of 911,” said District Attorney Jason Williams in an interview with WWL Louisiana Wednesday. He added that he believed “the attempted cover-up was as bad, if not worse than the initial criminal activity.”
Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Morris on one count each of malfeasance in office, injuring public records, insurance fraud, and false personation of a peace officer.
After the arraignment hearing Wednesday, WWL Louisiana asked Capitelliif he had evidence to prove Morris’ innocence. He responded, again, that he would be “testing the legal sufficiency of this case at the next hearing.”
“That means he's keeping his options open,” said Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino, “he is going to see what the evidence is against Mr. Morris, and then make a consult with his client and make some decisions about what the next steps are.”
Ciolino believes those next steps could involve a plea deal of some kind. “This is not a case where the lawyer was standing on the courtroom steps protesting his client's innocence,” he said.
Judge Simone Levine set Morris’ next court appearance, which will be a discovery hearing, for July 31.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, the malfeasance and insurance fraud charges each carry a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, the impersonation of a peace officer charge carries up to two years, and the injuring public records charge carries up to one year.
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