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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana police chief still on job despite indictment, wife's arrest in visa fraud case: report
Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle. (City of Oakdale) One of four Central Louisiana law enforcement leaders arrested this week for their alleged involvement in an immigration fraud scheme is still on the job, our news partners at KPLC-TV report. Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle has not submitted his resignation, according to city officials . He is alleged to have created false police reports for Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel, a local businessman who federal investigators said paid police $5,000 for each foreign national they would add to the reports as a crime victim. That status would make them eligible for a U-visa, which are available to immigrants who are victims of crime or can assist in the prosecutions of criminals. Along with Doyle, an indictment from the U.S. attorney for Louisiana's Western District implicates Oakdale City Marshal Michael Slaney, Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon and Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea in the scheme that prosecutors say put U-visas in the hands of 25 immigrants. Louisiana State Police have also arrested Alison Doyle, the police chief's wife and an Oakdale city employee, charging her with two felony counts of malfeasance in office. It stemmed from an investigation into 'unethical conduct in the municipal property bidding process.' In a social media post, state police said they obtained information from federal investigators involved in the Patel investigation. It revealed that Alison Doyle reportedly conspired with Patel to 'manipulate the bidding process for two city-owned properties.' Alison Doyle is not mentioned in the federal indictment, which includes a sizable list of personal property, bank accounts and vehicles belonging to the five defendants that are eligible for forfeiture should they be tied to the offenses detailed. According to KPLC, Alison Doyle left her job with the city in May. The police chief has not responded to calls from the station. Chad Doyle's elected term as police chief runs through the end of 2028. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run
Advertisement Groves faces life imprisonment without parole, but administrative delays have kept him in jail for years rather than a more secure prison facility. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'He's got nothing to lose,' said Forrest Ladd, an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney who prosecuted Groves. 'That's a dangerous thing from anybody, much less somebody capable of causing mass harm.' How likely is it Groves will be recaptured? More than 90% of people who escape from U.S. correctional facilities are recaptured within a year, said Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College. 'The longer you are out there, the more likely you are to stay out,' said Peterson, though he believes Groves will be caught eventually due to the high level of media attention. Most escapes occur when low-level offenders seize spontaneous opportunities, Peterson said. The New Orleans jailbreak stands out because of its level of 'sophistication and pre-planning' and the alleged roles current and former jail employees played in the escape, he added. Advertisement How has Groves avoided law enforcement for so long? Multiple defense attorneys who have worked with Groves described him as intelligent and polite. Prosecutors in his cases say he is violent, manipulative and remorseless. 'He's the worst human being I've ever come across in my life,' said Ladd, the Orleans Parish assistant district attorney. 'But he is a very charismatic, and I think that allows him the ability to kind of control people.' A former jail employee who became Groves' girlfriend during his incarceration is accused of helping him coordinate the escape in advance by arranging phone calls that avoided the jail's monitoring system. She is one of at least 16 people — many family members of the escapees — facing charges for providing transport, food, shelter and cash to the fugitives, most of whom stayed within New Orleans. Several days after the escape, authorities received information that Groves was hiding in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged neighborhood where he grew up, according to court documents. State and federal authorities declined to provide details on Groves' suspected whereabouts. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges indicated he believes Groves is receiving assistance from friends or family. 'Sometimes we think we are incredibly close,' Hodges said during a June 27 news conference, adding that authorities would arrive at a location to find a fugitive 'just moved because they have help.' There is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to Groves' recapture. Mistrust in the criminal justice system Likely impeding the search for Groves is widespread skepticism toward law enforcement from city residents following decades of abuse, often against the Black community. In 1994, a corrupt police officer ordered the killing of Groves' grandmother, Kim Groves, after she reported him for beating up a teenager. Her three children settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with the city for $1.5 million in 2018. Advertisement 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare,' Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told WDSU, saying the family has been interrogated and remains under law enforcement surveillance. She has urged her nephew to turn himself in. Groves' mother and aunt did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment for this story. In 2014, at the age of 17, Groves was arrested and incarcerated for nearly two years on a charge of attempted second-degree murder for which he was later acquitted by a jury, though his own father had testified against him, according to court records and a prosecutor in the case, Mike Trummel. Tom Shlosman, Groves' defense attorney in that case, said that Groves' prolonged incarceration as a teenager and his grandmother's murder likely undermined his faith in the criminal justice system. Shlosman remembered Groves as 'young and scared.' 'None of that's going to affect a kid in any positive way,' Shlosman said. 'And it's certainly not going to instill trust in law enforcement.' A series of killings Groves, who goes by 'Woo,' dropped out of school in ninth grade and sold heroin in the Lower Ninth Ward for years, according to court records. The FBI began monitoring his social media while he was still a teenager, and Groves pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in 2019. Groves has been in jail since at least 2019, after his involvement in four killings during an 18-month period. In October 2024, a jury convicted Groves of second-degree murder for using an assault rifle to spray dozens of bullets into a family block party on Mardi Gras, killing 21-year-old Byron Jackson and 26-year-old Jamar Robinson and wounding several others. Advertisement Groves later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in two separate shootings, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. Eyewitnesses in cases involving Groves have been threatened and physically attacked by him, and others were so intimidated they refused to testify against him, according to three current and former prosecutors and court records. In court, Robinson's aunt, Janis Robinson, said she had cried every night since her nephew died: 'I don't know how we are going to get through it.' In response, records show, Groves swore repeatedly at her in court.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Convicted murderer Derrick Groves eludes law enforcement as last New Orleans jail escapee on the run
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly two months after 10 inmates escaped from a New Orleans jail by crawling through a hole behind a toilet, authorities have recaptured all but the man with the most violent rap sheet: Derrick Groves. Following the May 16 jailbreak, law enforcement tracked down three escapees within 24 hours and most of the others within the next few weeks. While some of the fugitives roamed through nightlife hotspots and another made Instagram posts, Groves has so far kept a low profile. The 28-year-old New Orleans native has the most at stake, authorities say. Last year, a jury convicted Groves of killing two people after he opened fire on a family block party with an assault rifle in what prosecutors said was a feud with rival drug dealers. Groves faces life imprisonment without parole, but administrative delays have kept him in jail for years rather than a more secure prison facility. 'He's got nothing to lose,' said Forrest Ladd, an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney who prosecuted Groves. 'That's a dangerous thing from anybody, much less somebody capable of causing mass harm.' How likely is it Groves will be recaptured? More than 90% of people who escape from U.S. correctional facilities are recaptured within a year, said Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College. 'The longer you are out there, the more likely you are to stay out,' said Peterson, though he believes Groves will be caught eventually due to the high level of media attention. Most escapes occur when low-level offenders seize spontaneous opportunities, Peterson said. The New Orleans jailbreak stands out because of its level of 'sophistication and pre-planning' and the alleged roles current and former jail employees played in the escape, he added. How has Groves avoided law enforcement for so long? Multiple defense attorneys who have worked with Groves described him as intelligent and polite. Prosecutors in his cases say he is violent, manipulative and remorseless. 'He's the worst human being I've ever come across in my life,' said Ladd, the Orleans Parish assistant district attorney. 'But he is a very charismatic, and I think that allows him the ability to kind of control people.' A former jail employee who became Groves' girlfriend during his incarceration is accused of helping him coordinate the escape in advance by arranging phone calls that avoided the jail's monitoring system. She is one of at least 16 people — many family members of the escapees — facing charges for providing transport, food, shelter and cash to the fugitives, most of whom stayed within New Orleans. Several days after the escape, authorities received information that Groves was hiding in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged neighborhood where he grew up, according to court documents. State and federal authorities declined to provide details on Groves' suspected whereabouts. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges indicated he believes Groves is receiving assistance from friends or family. 'Sometimes we think we are incredibly close,' Hodges said during a June 27 news conference, adding that authorities would arrive at a location to find a fugitive 'just moved because they have help.' There is a $50,000 reward for tips leading to Groves' recapture. Mistrust in the criminal justice system Likely impeding the search for Groves is widespread skepticism toward law enforcement from city residents following decades of abuse, often against the Black community. In 1994, a corrupt police officer ordered the killing of Groves' grandmother, Kim Groves, after she reported him for beating up a teenager. Her three children settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with the city for $1.5 million in 2018. 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare,' Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told WDSU, saying the family has been interrogated and remains under law enforcement surveillance. She has urged her nephew to turn himself in. Groves' mother and aunt did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment for this story. In 2014, at the age of 17, Groves was arrested and incarcerated for nearly two years on a charge of attempted second-degree murder for which he was later acquitted by a jury, though his own father had testified against him, according to court records and a prosecutor in the case, Mike Trummel. Tom Shlosman, Groves' defense attorney in that case, said that Groves' prolonged incarceration as a teenager and his grandmother's murder likely undermined his faith in the criminal justice system. Shlosman remembered Groves as 'young and scared.' 'None of that's going to affect a kid in any positive way,' Shlosman said. 'And it's certainly not going to instill trust in law enforcement.' A series of killings Groves, who goes by 'Woo,' dropped out of school in ninth grade and sold heroin in the Lower Ninth Ward for years, according to court records. The FBI began monitoring his social media while he was still a teenager, and Groves pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in 2019. Groves has been in jail since at least 2019, after his involvement in four killings during an 18-month period. In October 2024, a jury convicted Groves of second-degree murder for using an assault rifle to spray dozens of bullets into a family block party on Mardi Gras, killing 21-year-old Byron Jackson and 26-year-old Jamar Robinson and wounding several others. Groves later pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges in two separate shootings, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. Eyewitnesses in cases involving Groves have been threatened and physically attacked by him, and others were so intimidated they refused to testify against him, according to three current and former prosecutors and court records. In court, Robinson's aunt, Janis Robinson, said she had cried every night since her nephew died: 'I don't know how we are going to get through it.' In response, records show, Groves swore repeatedly at her in court. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
American Press
30-06-2025
- American Press
Pedestrian killed in Jeff Davis crash
Associated Press Archives A 38-year-old pedestrian was killed early Monday morning in a single-vehicle crash on La. 26 near Trailer Town Road in Jeff Davis Parish. Louisiana State Police Trooper Matt Gaspard said the crash claimed the life of Cody Moore of Jennings. Gaspard said troopers responded to the crash just before before 1 a.m. He said Moore has been walking in the northbound lane of La. 26. At the same time, a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado was also traveling north on La. 26. For reasons still under investigation, the Chevrolet struck Moore, Gaspard said. Moore received fatal injuries and died at the scene. The driver of the Silverado was unrestrained at the time of the crash but was uninjured. Standard toxicology samples were collected and submitted for analysis. This crash remains under investigation.
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Time of India
Ninth Orleans Parish jail escapee captured after six weeks on the run, one remains at large
Charges and investigation Remaining fugitive and ongoing search Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Antoine Massey, one of ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans on May 16, 2025, has been apprehended after more than six weeks as a fugitive. Massey, 33, was arrested at a residence in New Orleans on June 27 in a coordinated operation involving local, state, and federal law enforcement, including the Louisiana State Police , FBI, Department of Homeland Security , and U.S. Marshals Service The May 16 escape, described by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the worst in recent state history, involved ten inmates exploiting faulty infrastructure. The group managed to yank open a malfunctioning cell door, remove a toilet from a cell wall, and crawl through a hole behind it. After escaping through the wall, they scaled a barbed wire fence and fled the facility. The escape went undetected for more than seven hours, with jail staff discovering the missing inmates only during a morning left behind at the escape site, including the phrase "To easy LOL," highlighted the audacity of the the time of his escape, Massey was being held on charges of domestic abuse battery involving strangulation, motor vehicle theft, and parole violations. Authorities have indicated that additional charges related to the escape are likely. Massey will be transferred to a secure state correctional facility outside New jailbreak triggered a sweeping investigation. At least 16 people have been arrested for allegedly assisting the inmates, including a jail maintenance worker accused of disabling the water supply to facilitate the removal of the toilet. The maintenance worker's attorney has denied involvement, stating the water was turned off due to a clog in another cell. Several jail staff members have also been suspended pending further Massey's capture, nine of the ten escapees are now back in custody. The last remaining fugitive, Derrick Groves, 27, was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder related to a 2018 Mardi Gras shooting. Authorities continue to search for Groves, and a $50,000 reward remains for information leading to his arrest. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has publicly urged Groves to surrender peacefully, emphasizing that law enforcement will continue their efforts until he is found.
