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Prominent lawyer and lobbyist arrested for domestic violence gets charges dismissed
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BATON ROUGE - A prominent lawyer and lobbyist who was the focus of multiple WBRZ Investigative Unit reports last year had all of his domestic abuse charges dismissed.
The WBRZ Investigative Unit learned that Kevin Hayes went through a "mitigation" program with the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office prior to his charges being dropped.
Hayes, a lobbyist and former president of the Baton Rouge Bar Association was arrested last year on two counts of domestic abuse battery after he hit a woman and beat up her son, according to arrest reports.
The WBRZ Investigative Unit uncovered this was Hayes' third arrest for domestic violence. He's been arrested twice in Baton Rouge and once in Walton County, Florida, booking records show.
Courts are closed for the New Year's Eve holiday. Despite the holiday, the WBRZ Investigative Unit learned conversations were happening behind the scenes to get a bond set for Hayes. That Friday morning, the district attorney's office requested a Gwen's Law hearing for Hayes. Commissioner Nicole Robinson set Hayes' bond at $10,000 and imposed a protective order, mandated that his guns be removed and will force him to undergo supervision and tracking.
Hayes' arrest happened as Baton Rouge logged a record number of domestic violence incidents.
At the time, LSU Law Professor Ken Levy said he can't tell if special treatment is unfolding in this case. But if it is, he said it will make people lose confidence in the justice system.
"Equality before the law is a fundamental principle of criminal law," Levy said. "Every suspect, no matter how poor, rich, Black, and White should all be treated the same. No one should get special treatment."
WBRZ asked for an interview from the District Attorney's Office. We did not hear back.
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