Former Louisiana police head faces contempt charge from lawmakers killing of Black motorist

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lawmakers investigating the lethal arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene voted unanimously Wednesday to carry the previous head of the Louisiana State Police in contempt for defying a subpoena and refusing to show over the handwritten journals he stored whereas main the state’s premier legislation enforcement company.

The choice to carry former Col. Kevin Reeves in contempt — and nice him $5,000 — marks a dramatic escalation within the bipartisan committee’s probe of the alleged cover-up in Greene’s 2019 demise. If affirmed by the total state Home, it would permit lawmakers to ask a courtroom to compel Reeves to show over three handwritten journals.

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The vote comes a day after the three-year anniversary of the deadly arrest on a rural roadside outdoors Monroe, the place troopers beat, surprised and dragged Greene following a high-speed chase.

Reeves’ legal professional, Lewis Unglesby, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Unglesby has contended Reeves cooperated with the committee, however claims that each one however 11 pages of the previous police superintendent’s journals don’t pertain to Greene’s demise and subsequently don’t must be turned over. Members of the committee investigating Greene’s demise stated Wednesday the paperwork are public data.

The decision to carry Reeves in contempt subsequent strikes to a different committee the place Reeves will be capable to mount a protection after which, if affirmed there, to a Home vote. It’s exceedingly uncommon for Louisiana lawmakers to concern subpoenas, not to mention maintain somebody in contempt for bucking one, and the timeline for in search of to implement the one towards Reeves was not instantly clear.

Authorities instructed grieving kinfolk and put in preliminary reviews that the 49-year-old Greene died from a automobile crash. The Related Press final 12 months obtained lengthy withheld body-camera video that confirmed what actually occurred: troopers swarming Greene’s automobile, beautiful him repeatedly, punching him within the head, dragging him by his ankle shackles and leaving him inclined on the bottom for greater than 9 minutes. At occasions, Greene may very well be heard pleading for mercy and wailing, “I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!”

Reeves, who described Greene’s demise as “terrible however lawful” and stepped down in late 2020 amid criticism, has sought to downplay his personal involvement within the case. However the 11 pages of his journal that have been turned over to the committee final week present he was conscious of the potential fallout inside days of Greene’s demise.

“Notice there’s a downside — should handle instantly,” Reeves wrote in a single part that listed a sequence of doable steps, together with suspending troopers or placing them on depart and opening up an inside investigation into the case.

However 462 days would cross earlier than state police started an inside investigation into the troopers concerned, together with one who was recorded boasting he “beat the ever-living f— out of” Greene.

The bipartisan legislative committee fashioned in February in response to an AP report that Reeves knowledgeable Gov. John Bel Edwards inside hours that troopers arresting Greene had engaged in a “violent, prolonged battle.” But the Democrat stayed largely silent on the case for 2 years as state troopers continued to boost the automobile crash idea, which was later debunked by a brand new post-mortem commissioned by the FBI.