Jefferson Parish Deputy Arrested and Fired Over Domestic Battery and DUI

Kyle Nugent, a nine-year Jefferson Parish deputy, was arrested and sacked after allegedly choking his girlfriend and fleeing a parking lot in a marked police vehicle.

Jefferson Parish Deputy Jailed and Dismissed After Alleged Strangulation and Hit-and-Run

A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested and terminated Tuesday after allegedly choking his girlfriend the previous evening, fox8live.com reports.

Kyle Nugent, 34, a nine-year JPSO veteran, was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on multiple charges following an incident at a local apartment complex. Sheriff Joe Lopinto's office said Nugent "committed a domestic abuse battery against his girlfriend" but did not disclose the victim's identity, age or current condition.

The charges against Nugent include domestic abuse battery involving strangulation, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, reckless operation of a vehicle, and hit-and-run driving. Court records note a blood alcohol figure of ".166 grams percent" alongside the impaired driving charge. Authorities said the hit-and-run occurred in the apartment complex parking lot and involved a marked Sheriff's Office unit.

Nugent is being held without bond ahead of a Gwen's Law hearing scheduled for Thursday.

New York-based criminal justice professor and former NYPD sergeant Joe Giacalone said incidents like this damage the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. "It takes years to build that trust. It takes years to build that community. And then you can lose it all in one incident," Giacalone said.

Giacalone nonetheless described the JPSO's swift response — both the arrest and the immediate dismissal — as the right course of action. "Terminating his job is a good sign that they're saying, 'Hey, we're taking this seriously. This guy did wrong and we want no more part of it,'" he said.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)