New Orleans Carjacking Victim Calls Out DA For Not Calling Witnesses, Letting Criminal Go Free
A carjacking victim is furious after the teen who stuck a gun in his face and stole his car was able to go free... after the victim was denied the opportunity to testify against him.
Dr. Pat Dennis was never asked by the New Orleans District Attorney to appear in court to testify against the sixteen-year-old he says stole his car.
“I’ve been robbed once by the individual and I feel like I’ve been robbed by the city on the second count just because of the way the district attorney’s office handled the entire case from start to finish,” Dennis told WWL TV in New Orleans.
The District Attorney, Jason Williams, later apologized to Dennis over the matter via public statement.
After learning of this matter, I personally reached out to Mr. Dennis to apologize on Friday after recessing the Darren Bridges First Degree Murder case I am personally trying. My office is clear that the system is not supposed to work this way. We desperately wanted him in court to help us convict this perpetrator and based on what I know he desperately wanted to be there for the same reason. We have certified records of our Attorneys requesting in court that subpoenas be issued to Mr. Dennis. Additionally, we have records of multiple attempts of subpoena service at his address prior to the July 14th trial date. Nonetheless, victim engagement is a pillar of our office and Mr. Dennis has my word - I will work to get to the bottom of where this breakdown occurred. As the victim in this matter, he is our priority, and we will make sure to figure what happened in this case. We hope that Mr. Dennis knows we were able to secure the conviction of one of the juvenile co-defendants who has been sentenced to 5 years and the other defendants’ cases are open and our office will work to see justice through in those matters.
The other case Williams referenced, the first-degree murder trial of Darren Bridges, has been closely followed in New Orleans. Bridges was found guilty for the murder of NOPD Officer Marcus McNeil.
Dennis, however, doesn't feel like justice has been served as well as it could have been.
“I was a cooperating witness," he told WWL TV. "I don’t have to be subpoenaed. The DA’s office knew that I was a cooperating witness. The court should have known that.”