Zachary Reserve Police Officer Killed While Attempting to Serve Warrant At Baker Wal-Mart

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Damn what a bad way to go. Good guy trying to save someone. Much respect. Rip

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a man beating a woman in a U-Haul in the parking lot of Walmart. The man was beating the woman with a gun

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the suspects drove off in the truck, running over the reserve officer.

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How often do people run from the cops and get away? I just don’t think that would even cross my mind. Now you get to spend the rest of your life in jail for murder. Stupid pieces of shite.

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office reported Albert Franklin, 33, and Ashley Chaney, 30, have been arrested. Deputies said Franklin will be charged with first-degree murder, hit and run, damage to property, and as a fugitive from the Zachary Police Department. They added Chaney will be charged with obstruction of justice.

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Chief McDavid said Albert Franklin, 33, has been a problem for the people of Zachary for quite some time now. 

"We got numerous complaints on this individual in the area selling drugs in the area, cars coming and going out of his place," Chief McDavid told the 9News Investigators.

About a month ago, on November 14, Franklin was pulled over in a traffic stop and officers said they found drugs and a gun. 

The 9News Investigators dug into documents about Franklin's arrest. A judge set the bond for every charge.

Possession & Distribution of Manufactured Control Schedule I --- $20,000Possession & Distribution of Manufactured Control Schedule II --- $20,000Possession of Firearm with drugs --- $10,000Felon in Possession of Firearm --- $25,000Resisting an Officer --- $10,000Possession of Drug Paraphernalia --- $2,000Improper Lane Usage --- $500Failure to Signal --- $500

The total bond was set at $88,000 with one of Judge Trudy White's commissioners signing off after setting the bond. 

The next day, Judge Trudy White went behind the commissioner and amended the bond, reducing the amount on many of those charges.

Possession & Distribution of Manufactured Control Schedule I --- $2,500Possession & Distribution of Manufactured Control Schedule II --- $2,500Possession of Firearm with drugs --- $1,000Felon in Possession of Firearm --- $1,000Resisting an Officer --- $500Possession of Drug Paraphernalia --- $500Improper Lane Usage --- $500Failure to Signal --- $500

The total dropped from $88,000 to $9,000.

"I don't understand that because we can't go judge shopping but a criminal can go judge shopping, but police can't do that when we try to get a warrant signed or a search warrant signed," Chief McDavid said.

Franklin bonded out on a commercial surety bond, meaning someone put up property to secure his bond. 

"Usually, you see judges tweaking the amount up or down a little bit, usually down, but this amount is dramatic," Dane Ciolino, a Loyola University Professor who teaches legal ethics, told the 9News Investigators. "It's not uncommon at all for judges to reduce bonds. That is a fairly typical event in the Louisiana criminal justice system. What's unusual and somewhat striking in this case is how much the bond was reduced."

It was reduced by $79,000.

Just two weeks later, on November 28th, Zachary police arrested Franklin again. This time for illegal possession of a stolen firearm. His bond was set at $5,000 by a different judge, Judge Anderson, but there was a note reading "notify Judge White of new arrest"

"I would hope that she takes a look at that and maybe take his bond back and put him back in jail," Chief McDavid said.

But Franklin is already out on bond from that arrest as well.

When he was arrested in the traffic stop earlier in November, Franklin had someone else in the car with him, Lana Rainwater, who was also arrested on drug and gun charges. Her total bond was set at $46,000 for those four charges. 

"If there's good reason to reduce his bond, then there's certainly good reason to reduce hers," Ciolino said.

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