An infuriating story out of Zachary this morning points out once again the damaging effects of Louisiana’s worst judge…

A Zachary undercover police officer, who is also a firefighter, was killed after being run over by a U-Haul truck Monday night, according to officials.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner identified the victim as Christopher Lawton. Coroner William “Beau” Clark said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine the exact cause of death.

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.

The incident happened at the Walmart on Plank Road in Baker around 8 p.m. Officials said the U-Haul truck hit the officer, then left the scene.

Sheriff Sid Gautreax said two undercover Zachary police officers were executing a drug-related felony warrant at the time. The two officers saw the suspect in the U-Haul and parked in the parking lot to observe him. They watched him for several minutes, then pulled up behind him and got out of their marked unit. Gautreaux said when the suspect saw them, he began to drive away.

Lawton was reportedly on the passenger side of the truck and was pinned between the truck and a grocery cart return. The other officer did not immediately realize what had happened and got back in the unit to chase the suspects in the truck.

It turns out Alfred Franklin was something of a celebrity – at least, he’d been made semi-famous by WAFB-TV in that station’s reporting of Judge Trudy White’s non-stop Get Out Of Jail Free Cards back in December…

Zachary Police Chief David McDavid is fuming and not holding back.

The reason for him being so upset: Why are his officers working so hard to lock people up only to have Baton Rouge judges set extremely low bonds and they’re back on the streets in just hours?
“It’s like a revolving door and it gets frustrating,” Chief McDavid told the 9News Investigators.

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.

Here was what WAFB found. First, here was the bond set on the charges Franklin was arrested for on Nov. 14 of last year…

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

But after Trudy White got through with his case, here’s how it went…

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

Got that? A felon in possession of a firearm gets you $1,000 bond in Trudy White’s courtroom.

And an $88,000 bond got dropped to $9,000. Not surprisingly, Franklin – a known and notorious drug dealer in Zachary the cops have dead to rights – made bail, and went right back to dealing poison to the lower elements of society.

But wait – there is more to this story. From the WAFB report in December again…

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.

Obviously he didn’t go back to jail.

Now that he’s killed a cop, one would think he might be less likely to get bond from a judge. But based on Trudy White’s track record as the best friend a criminal ever had in Baton Rouge, nobody knows for sure.