An unfortunate tragedy took place following a police chase Wednesday evening in Baton Rouge. A 12 year old boy was hit by a vehicle fleeing law enforcement at Old Hammond Highway and Gloria Drive. And the worst judge in Louisiana, the recently-suspended Trudy White, is at fault.

Joshual Hilton was a suspect in a narcotics investigation conducted by BRPD. The investigation ultimately led to Hilton’s being shot, and then to a car chase when he fled the police. Why and how Hilton was shot is still being scrutinized. Amid the chase, Hilton’s vehicle – which was reported stolen in November – struck the child, and soon after he was finally taken into police custody. Hilton was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and no police officers were injured during the debacle. The completely innocent 12-year-old boy, however, will not live to see another day. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this heartbreaking time.

So far, Hilton has been charged with manslaughter, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. But this is still an active investigation, and State Police Trooper First Class Bryan Lee claims there are still additional pending charges.

As it turns out, this isn’t Hilton’s first rundown with the law. Prior to this investigation, he walked free on a total of $435,000 bail bonds. Last September, he was arrested following another police chase and booked on several drug charges, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, and aggravated flight from an officer. He had been awaiting trial on numerous drug and weapon charges from the aforementioned arrest as well as another in 2016 – and in that case he’d fled the police at rates of speed up to 100 mph.

If you’re asking how a career criminal like Hilton was out on bail to wreak such havoc on the public, you’re thinking like we are. While this man was not charged with any violent crimes before this devastating casualty, he was nevertheless allowed the chance to commit one thanks to our court system.

And specifically, one Trudy White. Judge White, who was suspended by the state Supreme Court for some mysterious reason for three months ending in February of this year, had to apologize for a 2014 campaign web ad boasting about how she specialized in springing criminals from jail.

Here’s that video…

And this wasn’t some idle statement, either. Before she was suspended last year, here was Trudy White’s handiwork…

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Then just before the suspension, White sprung a Department of Health and Hospitals official who was running an illicit kickback scheme laundering federal grants to a business he owned after that crooked bureaucrat had been convicted of malfeasance in office and money laundering. He was given probation and a small fine.

And earlier this year, White struck again. After a jury convicted Earl Coleman of aggravated rape of an eight-year old girl, White let him out on bail so he could care for his ailing mother.

That’s what kind of judge Trudy White is, and that’s one reason Baton Rouge is becoming a very unsafe place to live. At some point it’s going to become clear that either she goes, or the city does.