Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson has effectively terminated at least four top assistant in her office, giving them an ultimatum to resign or be fired.
Sources cite ongoing turmoil in the office.
Some are pointing to the booking of high end hotel rooms at the Marriott and Sheraton for outside deputies serving in the Parish during Carnival.
A total of 13 top deputies got rooms, including Assistant Sheriff Kristen Morales.
The Sheriff’s Office has yet to issue a statement about the dismissals, they say they’ll address the issue next week.
WWL-TV reports four top assistants are said to be on their way out:
· Kristen Morales, Assistant sheriff in charge of internal affairs and technology.
· Graham Bosworth, Chief Legal Counsel
· Pearlina Thomas, Assistant Sheriff for Governance and Administration
· David Trautenberg, Chief Financial Officer.
Reportedly three of the four assistants are top members of Hutson’s close support, being appointed to their posts upon Hutson taking office in 2022.
CFO David Trautenberg opposed the bookings, but was apparently overruled.
He wrote in an email: If “you are an OPSO employee you are not eligible to have a paid hotel room. We have mattresses we can get from the warehouse.”
Sheriff Hutson reportedly approved the rooms for the first weekend of Carnival. But also booked 13 rooms at the Omni Royal Orleans for some eight nights, ending on Mardi Gras.
The sheriff defended her decision because she didn’t want deputies driving home late after working extended hours.
CFO Trautenberg emailed OPSO leaders after Carnival saying he was going to ask the City for reimbursement for the expenses.
This brought a strong response from Assistant Sheriff Laura Veesey: “This seems personal and it is frankly creeping me out. Your obsession with where I slept during Mardi Gras including offers to bring me a mattress while yelling expletives at me is bothersome and borders on harassment.”
Another high ranking Sheriff’s office member who also lost his job is Graham Bosworth. He sided with Trautenberg in calling on the department to address the bookings. He wrote: “David is correct these are public funds that were used, and transparency is required by law.”
In the end, OPSO was on the hook for almost $20,000 in hotel bills.
She called the expense money well spent as a police dog trainer from Vermillon Parish stepped up to pay the hotel tab.
