Former officer found not guilty

Published 2:01 pm Saturday, September 7, 2013

A jury deliberated for approximately two hours Friday before finding former Bogalusa policeman Anton Atkins, 31, not guilty on charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm, according to Rick Wood, a spokesman for District Attorney Walter Reed’s office.

The trial, which began early last week, took place before Judge Scott Gardner in 22nd Judicial District Court in Franklinton.

Atkins, who was with the Bogalusa Police Department at the time, was arrested on July 10, 2011, after police were called to the neighborhood of Rosa Pearl Lane and Plum Street on a complaint of an off-duty officer firing off rounds from a gun.

The investigation determined that Atkins had robbed a man at gunpoint, Chief Joe Culpepper said at the time.

Atkins was later terminated from the police department.

Culpepper said Atkins would not be getting his job back because, besides the criminal accusations, there were other violations of departmental rules and regulations that led to his termination.