CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Ex-New Orleans cop given probation, must pay $5K after attack outside Mid-City bar

The Advocate - 4/4/2019

April 03-- Apr. 3--One of two white New Orleans police officers who were fired following accusations that they beat a Hispanic military veteran outside a Mid-City bar last year received probation Wednesday while also being ordered to pay restitution.

John Galman's sentencing came almost two months after he pleaded guilty to simple battery in front of New Orleans Municipal and Traffic Court Judge Robert Jones III.

Jones on Wednesday ordered Galman to serve 12 months probation and pay the victim $5,000 in restitution over 10 months. The judge also fined Galman $500 and told him he would serve a 30-day jail sentence if he is unable to successfully complete his probation.

Galman, a rookie at the time of the July 24 confrontation with Jorge Alberto "George" Gomez, faced as much as six months behind bars and a fine of $1,000.

Gomez, a U.S. native who was raised in Honduras, had previously told reporters that Galman and a second rookie officer, Spencer Sutton, asked him if he was an "American" before they dealt him a series of blows outside the Mid-City Yacht Club, a bar on South St. Patrick Street.

Gomez, a veteran of the Army National Guard, said the officers also challenged him on why he was wearing military-style camouflage clothes.

Advocates of Galman and Sutton at one point claimed that Gomez, a regular of the bar, was the aggressor. But investigators concluded the opposite after talking to bar patrons and reviewing surveillance footage.

Early in the case, authorities said they were investigating the possibility that Gomez was targeted for violence because he was Hispanic, which would constitute a hate crime and allow prosecutors to pursue enhanced penalties. But authorities didn't charge Galman or Sutton with such a crime.

At Wednesday's hearing, Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Giavotella read a prepared statement from Gomez in which he described partially losing his hearing as a result of the attack, which left his face swollen and bruised.

Gomez's statement said he is now afraid of police and is strongly considering moving out of New Orleans, where it is "very difficult" for him to live. He said working and continuing with his studies has been a struggle.

"Psychologically, the attack was very traumatizing for me," Gomez's statement said. "It has made me want to go outside and be around people less. I'm afraid of being recognized and asked about the attack, and the media attention has made me very uncomfortable."

In briefly addressing the defendant, Jones called Galman's behavior "reprehensible" and likened him to "all other bullies."

Galman and Sutton were quickly fired after their arrests in connection with Gomez's injuries. The case prompted questions about police hiring practices as well as a formal apology from the New Orleans City Council, whose president, Jason Williams, called Gomez's beating "despicable" and "repulsive."

Jones on Wednesday ordered Galman to stay away from both Gomez and the Mid-City Yacht Club. Jones said the bar provided a 30-minute surveillance tape that was crucial in helping him calculate the sentence he gave to Galman, who had previously served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Jones said the court would also work on arranging a meeting between Galman, Gomez and a Hispanic community advocate in an effort to make Galman understand the effects of his actions.

Galman's attorney, Townsend Myers, denied Wednesday that Gomez's race factored into his client's actions.

"The judge very carefully considered everything from all sides and arrived at a sentence that is fair to all sides," he said.

The case against Sutton remains pending. His next hearing is tentatively set for April 10, a court official said.

___

(c)2019 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

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

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.