[StBernard] Lawyer: Chalmette woman will sue after 2 wrongful arrests

[Westley Annis]

Lawyer: Chalmette woman will sue after 2 wrongful arrests

Michelle Southern Reporting
A 28-year-old Louisiana woman was wrongly arrested twice by the Clay County
Sheriff's Office in Florida and intends to sue.  Ashley Nicole Chiasson of
Chalmette shares the first and last name of a woman wanted for grand theft
and writing bad checks.
 
Chaisson's attorney Andrew Bonderud says the CCSO had precise details about
the woman wanted for the crimes.
 
"Sometime between obtaining that accurate information and submitting an
affidavit to obtain an arrest warrant, my client's information was
substituted for the other Ashley Chiasson's information.  And so, a warrant
was issued for my client's arrest."
 
Chiasson spent 28 days in jail in January and another week in jail last
month. During the course of the ordeal, she lost her home.  A similar
situation happened with the same sheriff's office last year with a
17-year-old young man.  Bonderud says there's obviously a lack of
communication in the office.
 
"As I understand it, two totally separate groups of Clay County Sheriff's
officers, who apparently don't talk with one another.  If the second group
had only spoken with the first group of investigators, they would have
learned that there was great progress being made towards my client's
complete exoneration."
 
In a statement, Clay Country Sheriff Rick Beseler (above) has apologized to
Chaisson and admitted that deputies used shortcuts in the investigation.
Bonderud has sent the sheriff's office a letter of intent to sue, as
required by Florida law.  Bonderud says the whole experience has been
incredibly taxing on Chiasson.
 
"She's having a real hard time recovering.  She's stressed out.  She's
suffered financial losses.  She's having a hard time getting back on her
feet."