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Amid Nakamoto reports, WBR deputy ticketed days after deadly LA 1 crash

4 years 11 months 1 week ago Monday, April 08 2019 Apr 8, 2019 April 08, 2019 1:45 PM April 08, 2019 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE- A West Baton Rouge Parish Deputy on leave for fatally crashing into a pedestrian last week has been ticketed days later.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit learned through sources Friday morning, the deputy's license was suspended at the time. Despite state police confirming that Friday morning, he was not issued a citation until Monday afternoon.

The deputy, identified by state police as 20-year-old Albert Casco, was driving a work release van down LA 1 southbound near Emily Drive around 1:30 a.m. when the vehicle struck a man crossing the roadway.

The victim was later identified as 37-year-old Clinell Robertson of Plaquemine. Investigators said Robertson was wearing dark clothes at the time and walked into the path of the deputy's vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials said Casco showed no signs of impairment. A toxicology test for Robertson is still pending.

On Friday, state police told WBRZ's chief investigator Chris Nakamoto that Casco would be issued a ticket and that he was not allowed to drive away from the scene of the crash that morning.

State Police said troopers did not immediately issue the ticket when the crash happened overnight because troopers were trying to locate the victim's family.

Robertson's loved ones believe what happened here was a double standard.

"In this case they tried to make it seem like Clyde was totally wrong," Kiease Becnel said. "Then we find out because of WBRZ 2... the officer was just as wrong because he should not have even been driving. Had he not been driving...Clyde would have still been alive."

The West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said when Casco was hired in February, his license was valid. But, a couple of weeks later Casco's license was suspended on March 15, 2019. It happened after he skipped a court date after Baton Rouge Police issued him a ticket for driving without insurance, according to the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office.

"Had it been you or I, we would have been arrested, vehicle towed, ticketed and whatever else we would have went through," Becnel said. "Why was he even driving on a suspended license being a deputy? They arrest people and have people in jail for the same crime yet he's a deputy driving on a suspended license."

The investigation is ongoing.

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