New Orleans Idiots

May be we sould have a separate catagory for these stories:

2 booked, 1 sought in home invasion

Men falsely claimed to be cops, police say Saturday, December 01, 2007By Michelle Hunter

Two purported bail bond agents were arrested and a third is being sought on charges that they forced their way into a Metairie home and held guns on several occupants -- including children -- while pretending to be law enforcement officers, authorities said Friday.

James Martin, 39, of 4525 St. Mary St., Metairie, and Reynolds Rigney Jr., 28, 2404 Timber Drive, Harvey, were booked Thursday with two counts of false personation of a peace officer, two counts of armed false imprisonment, two counts of aggravated assault and aggravated burglary, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said. Arrest warrants for the same charges were issued for Frank Russo, 30, whose address was unavailable.

"Like every industry, there are some people who do it right and some that don't," Normand said.


Acting under the auspices of Troy's Bail Bonding in Metairie, Martin, Rigney and Russo barged into a home in the 3900 block of Simone Garden Drive on the night of Sept. 28, Normand said. They were looking for an unidentified person who had jumped bail.

Instead, they found a woman who was home with four children ages 11, 13, 17 and 18, Normand said.

The trio asserted that they were police officers and flashed badges, and at least two of them pointed weapons at several people inside the house, Normand said. They searched the residence and left after discovering that the bail jumper wasn't at home, he said.

But Sheriff's Office investigators later learned that none of the men were actually law officers.

"They were unlicensed bounty hunters," said Col. John Fortunato, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.

At least Martin and Rigney were. Martin had been licensed through the Louisiana Department of Insurance as a bounty hunter, but his certification expired in 2005, according to the Sheriff's Office. Rigney never had a license and wasn't even an employee of Troy's Bail Bonding.

Russo was the only person to have a certification.

A man who identified himself as "Troy" in a telephone call to Troy's Bail Bonding on Friday hung up when asked about the arrests.

Neither Rigney nor Martin could be reached for comment. Both were being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Rigney was being held on a $56,000 bond. No bond had been set for Martin.

The state Insurance Department said it issued a cease and desist order Thursday to Martin and Rigney, based on allegations they've acted as bail bond agents without a license on four occasions between August 2006 and September 2007.

. . . . . . .

That just gives a bad name to the Fugitive Recovery industry. There are quite a few law enforcement figures that have issues with bounty hunters. Its these guys that ruin any success for us.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/inde ... xml&coll=1

Bounty hunter had been fired by NOPD
Man was arrested last week by Jeff deputies
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
By Michelle Hunter
East Jefferson bureau
A bounty hunter arrested last week on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer had been fired by the New Orleans Police Department in July after he was accused of beating a man in the French Quarter last year.


Reynolds Rigney Jr., 30, and two other bail bond agents were arrested by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on charges that they forced their way into a Metairie home and held guns on the people inside while pretending to be law enforcement officers, authorities have said. Rigney was booked on Nov. 29 with aggravated burglary, two counts of false personation of a peace officer, two counts of false imprisonment with an armed weapon and two counts of aggravated assault.

The three bounty hunters were looking for a bail jumper when they barged into the home in the 3900 block of Simone Garden Drive in September, according to authorities.

The charges have delayed civil service hearings in New Orleans as he challenges his termination from the NOPD.

Rigney was fired in July by Police Superintendent Warren Riley for allegedly beating ACORN attorney Ronald Coleman on Dec. 30. NOPD Sgt. Jake Schnapp was also fired in connection with the incident.

The officers' civil service hearing has been postponed several times and was slated to begin Tuesday. However, hearing examiner Harry Tervalon Jr. pushed the hearing date back to March because of Rigney's pending criminal charges.

George Hesni II, Rigney's attorney in the civil service hearing, said he is not representing his client in the criminal matter but called the impersonation arrest a misunderstanding.

"I hope he gets it cleared up shortly so that we can go forward," Hesni said. "The sooner the better so that we can get his trial date, and he can get his job back."

_________________
Kathy Blackshear
Blackshear Investigations
Blackshear Bail Bonds
Sales Associate, Prepaid Legal Services, Inc.
Walsenburg, CO

Proud Member of the AB Reject Club

IDIOTS!

_________________


Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

I AM Some Folks "KARMA" and A MODERATOR @ FRN