State trooper arrested for second time on domestic violence charges allowed bond
BATON ROUGE — A judge set a $52,500 bond on Thursday for a Louisiana State Police trooper who was arrested on domestic violence charges for the second time.
Trooper James Jefferson III, 41, appeared for his Gwen's Law hearing at the 19th Judicial District Courthouse on Thursday afternoon. He was arrested on March 31 for allegedly strangling his wife and hitting her with his car before lying about the incidents to investigators.
Attorneys for the state showed a video of the alleged strangulation to Commissioner Nicole Robinson in the judge's chambers before the ruling.
Robinson described the video during the hearing, saying it showed a woman who was going out of a door and attempting to leave a home when a man, presumably Jefferson, pulled her back inside while his hand was around her throat. The judge said there was a glare on a window and the video was not easy to discern.
Robinson said that according to the law's definition of strangulation, probable cause was found, but she would need more than probable cause to hold someone without bond.
"The video did not give me what people think it's going to show," she said.
In addition to the bond, Commissioner Nicole Robinson ordered Jefferson to wear a GPS ankle monitor, attend counseling and parenting classes and undergo a substance abuse evaluation. He is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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Robinson also issued a protective order, something that was not in place after his first arrest.
The WBRZ Investigative Unit reported on Jefferson's previous domestic violence arrest in February when he got into a fight with his wife outside a home along Lake Sherwood Avenue South.