I was ready for a good Friday story and thanks to a reader, I’ve got a good one featuring none other than Jefferson Parish’s very transparent John Young:
More than a month after prosecutors dropped charges that he stole copper from a Jefferson Parish construction site, Russell Hartline was finally being released from jail Thursday when he was startled to see his mugshot on TV news reports.
Parish President John Young had held a news conference touting the arrests of Hartline and four others accused of stealing from the parish as examples of his administration’s crackdown on illegal and unethical activity.
But the theft charges from Hartline’s Oct. 21 arrest were dropped Dec. 9, though he remained in jail until Thursday because of a paperwork error.
“It was like adding insult to injury,” Hartline said Friday. “Just as I was finally getting out of jail on charges that were dropped a month and a half ago, I saw my face plastered all over the TV news.”
Young’s office had not responded late Friday afternoon to an e-mailed question about why Hartline’s case was highlighted after the charges had been dropped.
Young’s “crackdown” cracked up! But that’s what happens when you try to steal thunder. Meanwhile Mr. Hartline is not amused: Continue reading “Watch it or John Young will steal your thunder – “add insult to injury”!”