Louisiana Police Officers Ousted For Partying With Teen Girls Say “They Did Nothing Wrong”
Two Louisiana law enforcement officers are telling their side of the story.
Earlier this week 24-year-old Kasey Jackson and 32-year-old Cory Champagne were arrested on battery charges after a night of partying with a 17-year-old and 19-year-old girl.
The men were arrested after a call for help from the 17-year-old who reported she was drinking and had been grabbed. While speaking with deputies investigating the case, at least one of the girls said they were being paid to take their clothes off.
According to a report from WBRZ, Jackson was fired from the Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office and Champagne reportedly resigned from the Bunkie Police Department in the wake of their arrest.
The night of partying allegedly took place at a house that Champagne and Jackson share near Hammond. Family members of the 17-year-old girl who claimed she was grabbed told WBRZ that "the girls went to the home after meeting the men at a club,"
The men admitted to drinking with the girls after inviting them back to their house after meeting them outside of a club but said they weren't the ones who provided alcohol to the girls who were both underage. In an interview with WBRZ Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto, Jackson and Champagne disputed the girls' claims and were adamant that they "did nothing wrong."
When Jackson was questioned about knowing the girls were drinking underage he seemed to take issue with the question, telling Nakamoto "She's not a juvenile, she's a woman." Champagne held a similar sentiment, claiming that the men didn't even know the 17-year-old's age until they were well into their night of partying with the girls.
She's not a minor. At 17 years of age, she's considered an adult. Her age did not come through until midway through the night. She wasn't doing anything wrong. No one touched her or gave her alcohol.
The men did admit to offering the 19-year-old money to take her clothes off, but said the 17-year-old wasn't "participating."
Both men also harped on their freedom to "have a private life" insisting that they didn't break any laws by being young men who did "what young men would do."
I'm allowed to have a private life and what happens in my home should be of no concern to the public. There was nothing that happened. It's a made up story. So at this point, if you believe that everyone has a right to believe what they want.
Their attorneys defended their claims, telling Nakamoto that their clients did nothing wrong.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving someone who is 17 alcohol in your own home. That's the law; It's not contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Their lawyers also claim the men's lives have been "ruined" and their reputations have been damaged.
It's gotten bad. They're getting threats, terrible emails. Their families are being contacted.
The men are adamant the victim "is lying" and see "nothing illegal" about the situation. See the full story and interview via WBRZ here.