The Legal Arena

 
A New Orleans police officer was sentenced last week to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Michael Thomassie, 41, who in August was convicted of raping a 7-year-old girl more than 10 years ago, was sentenced by the New Orleans Parish criminal courts Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier. He was found guilty of aggravated rape earlier this year on Aug. 20.
During jury selection of his trial, Thomassie sent a selfie and raunchy texts to his girlfriend in Florida.
Now, another inmate wants to make Thomassie his boyfriend.

The Albuquerque Police Department is being sued again for refusing to release body camera footage showing police shooting a man to death.
The ACLU of New Mexico is representing Burque Media and other plaintiffs in a suit against the police department for denying public records requests.
The Albuquerque Police Department has encountered several other similar lawsuits in the past.

A Los Angeles police officer was found not guilty for repeatedly bashing a man over the head with his baton while trying to arrest him.
Jonathan Lai was acquitted Monday of one felony count of assault by a police officer and another felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“The jurors had to agree that my client was objectively reasonable,” said defense attorney Ira Salzman.

A Virginia police officer whose job was to investigate online sex crimes against children committed suicide Tuesday – moments before he was to be arrested for online sex crimes against children. 
Manassas police officer David Edward Abbott, Jr. was the same cop who made  headlines last year when he tried to take photos of a 17-year-old boy’s erect penis for what he claimed was investigative purposes.
A year before that, he won an award for “integrity in investigative work.”

Unable to reach a verdict against a Baltimore police officer accused of killing Freddie Gray, a judge declared a mistrial today, angering protesters who were standing outside the courthouse.
But prosecutors say they will retry William Porter, the driver of the van in which Gray was killed, and the first of six officers to be tried.
The jury deliberated for more than 16 hours over three days before Judge Barry G. Williams declared a mistrial.