White Castle reserve police officer arrested and charged with stalking

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

John Dupont
| South Post

A reserve officer with the White Castle Police Department was arrested last week on four charges, including stalking.

A Brusly police officer arrested Joseph Johnson, 60, of Plaquemine, for stalking after a complaint by a woman at a Brusly apartment complex.

The accuser alleged that Johnson called her apartment shortly after 1 a.m. “sometime between April 1 and June 6” on or about that date, according to the arrest warrant.

In the warrant, Johnson was also accused of using his status as a police officer to intimidate the victim. Johnson allegedly claimed that as a police officer, he could not be forced to leave the scene.

He was also charged with one count of menacing, as well as one count each of the following misdemeanor charges: intimidation by officers and cyberstalking through use of email, according to the sergeant's affidavit . Jordan Taylor of the Brusly Police Department.

Johnson had a criminal record for thefts that occurred “some time ago,” White Castle Police Chief Harold Brooks said.

Brooks said he assigned a subordinate to conduct Johnson's background check before he was hired as a reserve officer.

The thefts occurred “some time ago, in the late '80s or early '90s,” Brooks said.

Johnson was commissioned, but the department did not issue him a weapon, the police chief said.

“He primarily directed traffic for large events, such as basketball games,” Brooks said.

Brooks said he accepted blame for not conducting the background check himself.

“I'm the leader, and that's the main thing, but I delegate my authority and responsibilities to other officers,” he said. “Apparently there was a lot of other stuff in the case…the ball was dropped and it’s all on me.”

“When I asked another officer to do a background check, he told me there were no crimes…I don't blame anyone but myself. “

All equipment and items ordered have been returned to the police department.

“It’s time to move on,” Brooks said. “We just have to keep our heads high and keep going. »

The arrest and firing came as Brooks lost his deputy police chief, who took a job with another police department.

“I have trouble keeping people,” he said. “Our salary isn't that high, so it's hard to keep people…we're just trying to keep our heads above water.”

Lina Portman

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