Hardly a day passes at New Orleans Criminal Court without defendants missing court appearances and finding themselves on the wrong end of an arrest warrant.
But one such no-show defendant who is now listed as a fugitive from the law is the son of a high-ranking official in the state Attorney General’s Office.
Ashton Guidry, 22, was scheduled to stand trial Thursday on charges sparked by an alleged confrontation with employees at an Uptown bar.
Guidry is the son of wealthy business owner Shane Guidry, a former Jefferson Parish reserve deputy who now serves as a special assistant to Attorney General Jeff Landry.
The younger Guidry was scheduled to stand trial Thursday on the misdemeanor charges following a Sept. 22 dust-up at F&M Patio Bar on Tchoupitoulas Street.
In a police report, officers say an apparently intoxicated Guidry engaged in a “fight” with employees, then threatened officers who responded by mentioning his familial connections to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office.
Guidry had been banned from the popular college-age hangout after a previous run-in in August, the report states.
Reached by phone Monday, Guidry’s attorney, Mike Thomas, expressed surprise that a no-bond warrant had been issued for his client, saying that an unexpected conflict forced him to miss the trial date.
Thomas said he has contacted the District Attorney’s office to try and reschedule the trial and rescind the warrant.
Neither Guidry nor his father could be reached for comment. The Attorney General’s office did not respond to calls or emails about the matter.
Shane Guidry, CEO of the offshore transportation company Harvey Gulf International Marine, serves Landry as an assistant overseeing the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation.
There has been no sign that Guidry or any other law enforcement official has tried to intervene on behalf of Ashton Guidry, and the bench warrant – known as a capias – was still active Monday afternoon.