Earl Johnson, who passed away last year and dedicated two decades of his life to serving the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), is suspected of having mishandled police evidence in 31 instances.
The NOPD has been grappling with the issue of missing evidence. Chief Anne Kirkpatrick highlighted a peculiar problem to the New Orleans City Council on Monday. She revealed that rats had found their way into evidence storage rooms, consuming marijuana. According to Kirkpatrick, these rodents were essentially getting intoxicated on the seized narcotics.
Yet, the problem extends beyond these drug-eating rats. A report from NOLA.com unveils that 55 pieces of evidence have vanished from the NOPD’s evidence department, a situation not linked to the aforementioned rodents. An internal probe identified Earl Johnson, a seasoned officer with 20 years of service, as connected to the missing evidence.
Johnson, who passed away in May 2023, was responsible for managing evidence in the NOPD’s 4th district for the majority of his career.
A document shared by Skip Gallagher, a whistleblower and chemistry instructor at the University of New Orleans, disclosed that the missing evidence was linked to various cases. These included an incident of death, assault, battery, 13 burglaries, two car thefts, and two hit-and-run accidents.
In 2022, the Orleans District Attorney, in collaboration with the Public Integrity Bureau, recommended charging Johnson with 31 counts of malfeasance in office. However, Johnson was not formally charged before his death.
District Attorney Jason Williams expressed on Friday that if there was substantial evidence against Johnson, the responsibility for not charging him falls on the NOPD.
Williams’ office stated, “This investigation was treated like any other criminal probe carried out by the NOPD. They had the legal authority and obligation to issue an arrest warrant if they found adequate evidence of a crime. The failure to do so lies entirely with the NOPD and its leadership at that time.”
Donavan Livaccari, a lawyer for the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, voiced skepticism about the strength of the case against Johnson, even if he had not died. Livaccari mentioned to NOLA.com, “I don’t believe they possessed the necessary evidence to proceed with a criminal case.”