UPDATE: Jail records show authorities booked 53-year-old Erica Smythe Katsanis into the Orleans Parish jail Wednesday afternoon on a charge of vehicular homicide.
According to Louisiana law, "Vehicular homicide is the killing of a human being caused proximately or caused directly by an offender engaged in the operation of... any motor vehicle...whether or not the offender had the intent to cause death..." while "The operator is impaired by alcoholic beverage" or "The operator is impaired by any other drug, combination of drugs, or combination of alcohol and drugs."
ORIGINAL STORY FOLLOWS:
An arrest warrant has been issued in the traffic death of a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Deputy.
NOPD made that announcement today.
"It has been confirmed," Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said this morning. "I knew that one was being presented to a magistrate yesterday, and so I am confirming that it was actually issued."
It comes nearly a month after a driver struck and killed JPSO Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer during a funeral procession in New Orleans.
Kirkpatrick said because the case is on-going she couldn't release further details yet.
The crash happened last month on Airline Highway.
The NOPD said at that time that the driver smashed a car into the back of the deputy's motorcycle while he was blocking an intersection for the funeral procession.
Ohlmeyer was a 16 year police veteran with a wife and two children.
We are awaiting details of the specific charges.
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