The Television Personality and the Cabbie

What a story for Al Gautreaux and Missy Chauvin to cover on Action News!

This was a local saga of a lawyer/television personality and a local cabbie.  I leave it to you to sort it out, and figure what was going on.

First, the taxi driver picked up a young female on Bourbon street who apparently had a few drinks and was flirtatious with him.  This was a local radio celebrity who was also an attorney.  She later filed a police report that the taxi driver took an upskirt picture of her, and then tried to extort some money to destroy the video.  The claim was that he first asked for $60,000, but modified it to $1,000!  Apparently, that was the local going rate for upskirt videos of attorneys in New Orleans.  The recession does that to extortion, apparently.

Recently, Mike posted a video that addressed a similar matter.

The N.O.P.D. dutifully arrested him and sent him to jail.  Orleans Parish Prison is a nasty place.

This story made a row, even by New Orleans standards, and was even picked up by a newspaper in Britain, that seat of probity in reporting.

Later on, the case against the cabbie was dismissed; still leaving him with numerous debts incurred because of his incarceration.  And the N.O.P.D. soon had occasion to file false arrest charges against the attorney!  This must have made their day, given the somewhat adverserial relationship between the minions of the law and some officers of the court!  If convicted, she could get a year in jail, herself.

Al:  "Anything more on the taxi driver and the radio personality, Missy."

Missy:  "Only this, Al.  The Police Department has filed charges against her based on the possibility that she fabricated the story leading to the driver's arrest."

Al:  "Is there any chance we can get an upskirt photo of someone to run on the 10 P.M. news?"

Missy:  "That would be a ratings boost; but not likely to be approved by the F.C.C."

Al:  "Oh well, bare bottoms are not unheard of on Bourbon Street."

Missy:  "Maybe we could have the participants come on like on the old Jerry Springer Show?"

Sometimes real life outstrips imagination in New Orleans.  At least Nancy Grace was not involved.  As the Prophetess would have observed, that was the most graceful thing of the whole sorry, ambiguous affair.