Ex-New Orleans cop Willie Gant re-sentenced to 6 months in molestation case

July 20--An Orleans Parish judge has re-sentenced a former New Orleans police officer convicted of molesting a 12-year-old relative to six months in jail, but not before she once again had a dispute with the defendant's attorney.

Criminal District Court Judge Robin Pittman on Wednesday lowered the sentence of Willie Gant from a year, which defense attorney Robert Glass argued exceeded the time Gant could legally receive, given that Pittman had rejected his request for a jury trial.

Pittman frequently butted heads with Glass -- a well-known figure among defense attorneys who was first admitted to the bar in 1969 -- during Gant's three-day trial.

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

1

4812143a-326a-11e6-a177-c71c9a147f74

New Orleans Breaking News

Stay in the know about New Orleans' biggest news headlines. Sign up today for our newsletter!

Sign up

Manage Lists

On Wednesday, Pittman said she thought she spotted Glass handing a document to his client. The judge has been on the alert for such transfers since former Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan was accused of passing an envelope containing drugs to a client in her courtroom last month.

Glass said that Gant was reviewing a legal brief that Glass had given to his client in jail the night before.

When Gant was led away by a deputy after his resentencing, Pittman ordered Glass to leave her courtroom. But he did not leave quickly enough for the judge, who had him escorted into her chambers by an Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office deputy.

The testy encounter ended with Glass free to leave.

He is pursuing a writ to the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal to have Pittman set bail for Gant pending appeal. He said setting a bail is mandatory for sentences under five years.

Glass said Pittman had ignored the law by deeming Gant a "flight risk" despite the fact that he made 54 court appearances while a free man.

"Any way one looks at it, and with all due respect for the system and deference to the judiciary, the denial of bail by Judge Pittman was fundamentally disregardful of the law," Glass said in his writ.

___

(c)2018 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.