EBRSO report Released on Judge Erwin. *Updated w/ Statement from Judge Erwin*

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A number of other patrons at Sammy's Grill told East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputies they didn't hear state district judge Mike Erwin direct a racial slur toward a black woman at the bar.

The woman, Kaneitra Johnson, has alleged that Erwin at least twice called her a "n****r" in an argument over a bar stool at the popular Highland Road restaurant.

But a Sheriff's Office follow-up report, apparently completed after a staffer for Erwin complained to sheriff's deputies about phone calls demanding that the judge address the allegations, didn't come up with anyone who could corroborate Johnson's allegations.

The report says that a deputy working at Sammy's Grill on the night of the incident, Feb. 3, noted that a male patron told him the judge directed "racial language" toward the patron. But in a follow-up conversation with another deputy, the man — whose name is redacted from the report — denied ever making those comments to the original investigating deputies.

One patron, described as a regular at Sammy's Grill, told deputies that Erwin remained polite despite Johnson and her party acting in what he described as a "very vocal and aggressive" manner.

According to the report, released Tuesday morning, deputies examined surveillance footage from the restaurant to identify others near Erwin and Johnson during the altercation.

Erwin told deputies he got in a dispute with Johnson after she sat in a stool he was trying to save for a friend, the report says. Erwin said she retorted that seating was "first come, first serve" and said they argued but denied using racial slurs during the conversation.

In a written statement provided just after the Sheriff's Office released the report, Erwin said, "I never have, never would and never will utter the language I was accused of saying."

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The original news and social media reports about the event that took place on February 3 at Sammy's Grill are not in any way consistent with what actually happened.

It was my intention to let law enforcement conduct their interviews and gather their facts before making a public statement. Now that the Sheriff's department has issued their report - which does not find one single witness that corroborates the original allegation - I can finally defend my actions and my record as a judge.

I never have, never would and never will utter the language I was accused of saying.

I have devoted my professional, legal and nearly 30 year judicial career working to ensure that each and every person that appears in my courtroom is treated equally under the law, I have never wavered from this and I will continue to treat each and every person equally and fairly.

I will not have any further comment on this matter.

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