Suspect in Officer Death Previous Subject of 9News Investigation
Kiran Chawla, WAFB-TV, March 13, 2018
Just three months ago, an outraged Zachary police chief asked why the same man was being arrested over and over by his officers, only to be set free again.
Now, that same man, Albert Franklin, is accused in Monday’s murder of a police officer in the same city.
The 9NEWS Investigative team produced an in-depth report on Franklin last December, showing his numerous arrests on drugs and weapons charges and the seemingly revolving door he found at the jail during his numerous arrests.
In the most recent of those arrests, Judge Trudy White drastically reduced Franklin’s bond from $88,000 to just $9,000, our investigative report exposed. Franklin quickly posted bond and was back on the streets again.
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Chief McDavid said Franklin, 33, has been a problem for the people of Zachary for quite some time.
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On November 14th of last year, Franklin was pulled over in a traffic stop and officers said they found drugs and a gun.
The 9News Investigators dug into documents about Franklin’s arrest. A judge set the bond for every charge.
The total bond was set at $88,000 with one of Judge Trudy White’s commissioners signing off after setting the bond.
The next day, Judge Trudy White went behind the commissioner and amended the bond, reducing the amount on many of those charges.
The total dropped from $88,000 to $9,000.
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Just two weeks later, on November 28th, Zachary police arrested Franklin again. This time for illegal possession of a stolen firearm. His bond was set at $5,000 by a different judge, Judge Anderson, but there was a note reading “notify Judge White of new arrest”
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But Franklin is already out on bond from that arrest as well.
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Franklin was arrested in June for theft of a trailer and illegal possession of stolen things. His bond was set at $7,500 by Judge Anthony Marabella. In April of this year, he was locked up for possession of cocaine. The bond was set at $5,000 by Judge Richard Anderson. Franklin bonded out in all cases.
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Chief McDavid said a judge’s job is to uphold the law. “Uphold these laws. Quit reducing these bonds and letting these people out.”
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