| Susan Hutson |
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson will be arraigned along with her chief financial officer, Bianka Brown, on May 15th.
This follows her court appearance Thursday morning after getting indicted in connection with last year's spectacular jailbreak that turned 10 inmates loose on the streets. Since then, all ten inmates have been recaptured because they are as intelligent as a Pez dispenser.
Sheriff Susan Hutson was hit with a 30-count indictment courtesy of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.
She faces charges including malfeasance in office, conspiracy to commit malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, conspiracy to commit filing or maintaining false public records, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
On Thursday morning, Hutson was spotted strolling into court for a status update.
According to her attorney, Hutson surrendered her passport and is out on a $300,000 bond.It is unclear where her next court date will be.
Thursday, Hutson issued a statement saying she will "aggressively fight to clear my name. The timing of this indictment is concerning; it will not deter me from pursuing every available legal action to demonstrate that these accusations are unfounded."
She was held in custody at the Jefferson Parish Jail in Gretna prior to her court appearance.
The sheriff's chief financial officer, Bianka Brown, was also indicted on 20 counts. She's facing the same menu of malfeasance in office, conspiracy to commit malfeasance in office, filing or maintaining false public records, conspiracy to commit filing or maintaining false public records, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
| Bianka Brown |
Her bond has been set at $200,000. She has bonded out of jail.
According to the indictment, the charges stretch from May 2, 2022, to April 8, 2026, covering Hutson's entire term in office.
The juicy details of whatever Hutson and Brown allegedly pulled during that stretch will probably surface during discovery.
Both have to surrender their passports and cannot leave Louisiana.
A spokesperson for the Orleans Parish Justice Center issued the following statement regarding the indictment.
"OPSO is aware of the recent legal developments involving Sheriff Hutson and CFO Brown. Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, OPSO will not comment on the specifics of the case. Media inquiries should be directed to the respective legal counsel Gregory Carter and James Mullaly. The agency remains focused on ensuring continuity across all operations."
This mess comes after Murrill spent nearly a year looking into the jailbreak that let dangerous inmates, including some facing murder charges, hit the streets after they busted out of the jail behind a toilet.
Hutson has insisted the jailbreak was an inside job. During her re-election campaign she even called it "the great let out."
The ten inmates who escaped are facing simple escape charges and eight are expected to go to trial in September.
Two are undergoing treatment for competency ahead of trial.
The indictment dropped just one day after Hutson delivered her farewell speech.
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