NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams ordered an "extensive" internal review after more than a dozen people arrested on gun charges during Lundi Gras were released.
Assistant District Attorney Emily Maw refused charges at first appearance hearings on Tuesday. Fifteen of the cases were gun charges refused on the condition the individuals not get their guns back.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the New Orleans District Attorney's office said that Maw's decision was "improper and does not represent our office policy or procedure."
"DA Williams has ordered an extensive internal review of each matter brought before magistrate court on this date, as well as appropriate remedial measures to prevent similar unauthorized activity in the future," the statement from a DA's office spokesperson said. "This instance will otherwise be handled as an internal personnel matter."
New Orleans police cracked down on guns during Carnival, seizing nearly 250 firearms according to Interim-Superintendent Michelle Woodfork.
The decision to not prosecute some of those arrests is turning the heads of top officials. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser reacted to our reporting on the Eyewitness Morning News.
"Shame on the people that let them go," he said. "When they kill somebody, cause they will, cause they had no consequences for carrying the gun the first time, take the gun, let them go home, they'll go buy another gun. Until they kill someone, they won't spend anytime in jail."
Attorneys tell us this is unusual and didn't happen at first appearance hearings the day before.
"So, in less than 24 hours, the DA's Office goes from a very aggressive bond position for this crime to basically everybody gets a get out of jail free card," defense attorney CJ Mordock said.
You can read the full statement from the DA's office below:
“Taking guns off the street through aggressive enforcement and prosecution under existing gun laws is a top priority of our office. Prior to Mardi Gras, the DA met with our law enforcement partners at LSP and NOPD to reaffirm our joint support for this work.
The DA’s Office is committed to a thorough screening process for each charge delivered from law enforcement, the Assistant DA assigned to the initial review of these cases during first appearances deviated from our standard practice. We communicated this to our law enforcement partners and reaffirmed our shared commitment to the importance of prosecuting gun crimes to abate violence in our streets.
The Assistant DA’s strategic decision to refuse these misdemeanors in exchange for forfeiture of the weapons at first appearance was improper and does not represent our office policy or procedure. DA Williams has ordered an extensive internal review of each matter brought before magistrate court on this date, as well as appropriate remedial measures to prevent similar unauthorized activity in the future. This instance will otherwise be handled as an internal personnel matter.
DA Williams remains resolute in his commitment to seek justice for the people of this city and extends his sincere gratitude to all the men and women in law enforcement, locally and from afar, who worked tirelessly this past week, risking their own safety, to ensure a swift response to potential threats this Mardi Gras season."
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