New Orleans teen arrested cutting ankle monitor

WDSU was able to track down one of those cut monitors through Instagram account Empower You Nola and learned more about the teen who was wearing it

WDSU was able to track down one of those cut monitors through Instagram account Empower You Nola and learned more about the teen who was wearing it

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WDSU was able to track down one of those cut monitors through Instagram account Empower You Nola and learned more about the teen who was wearing it

Cut and caught; a New Orleans teen is behind bars after cutting his ankle monitor and getting rearrested while committing another crime.

This comes after WDSU Investigates first reported that juvenile ankle monitors are not being monitored in real time.

WDSU was able to track down one of those cut monitors through the Instagram account Empower You Nola and learned more about the teen who was wearing it.

An ankle monitor cut off, left in the street at the Willow apartments in New Orleans East has the community concerned.

"It's disturbing to see," said criminal justice consultant Justin Brown.

"This just shows our problem, right? There's a bigger problem that we had that literally an ankle monitor was cut off, and no one was looking for it. No one was tracking," he said.

Brown spoke with the teen's family who says he cut his monitor more than a week ago.

"He cut it off, and he went out to do another crime," said Brown. "He was arrested, he went to juvenile, and the family is working with the courts to have a better process."

The Orleans Parish Juvenile Court judge gave him three months in jail. Brown says even that sentence baffled some of his followers on Empower You Nola page.

"They weren't happy," said Brown. "Wow, three months. They didn't feel like that was enough time, but nevertheless, that's what the judge decided to give. So we're just going to continue to follow this case and see what happens and, hopefully, if this person gets the help they need."

In an earlier report, WDSU investigates found Juvenile ankle monitors were only checked every 30 days on where the teens went. That there is no active monitoring.

Currently, at Orleans Parish adult court, a company called ASAP is actively monitoring, and if a strap is cut, they send agents to the door to arrest you.

Brown says the teens need to be switched to being actively monitored like adults.

"It's monitored, they can track them, and they can see what's going on," said Brown. "If we're going to use the system for adults, we have to use that for the Juvenile system as well."

Brown hopes the juvenile court will hear the community's cries because this could be the difference between life and death.

"I just wish the court system would listen to some of our concerns and kind of change the system a little bit because it's that time," said Brown.

WDSU Investigates made a public records request to the city for documents or information on incidents in 2019 where a juvenile was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department with an ankle monitor already on.

We were told "the JJIC did not maintain a document regarding this information in 2019. Therefore, there are no documents responsive to your request."