A Louisiana judge is begging for forgiveness after surveillance video captured her using racist slurs. Judge Michelle Odinet blurted the racist slur while her family watched security footage of an attempted burglary at their home.
The incident happened at her home in Bendel Gardens in Lafayette on Saturday, DailyMail.com reports.
The burglary suspect was chased and tackled to the ground by two male members of the Odinet family on the front lawn.
Ronald Handy, 59, was arrested and charged with two counts of simple burglary. He is being held at Lafayette Parish Jail on a $10,000 bond.
Odinet, a mother of four, viewed the video footage with her family when one of her children said, “And mom’s yelling n****r, n****r,” to which Odinet responds “We have a n****r. It’s a n****r, like a roach.”
The full video shows Odinet and her family laughing and making similar racist jokes.
Local officials and members of the community have since called on Odinet to resign.
“I’m sure that people of color will find it impossible to trust that they will be treated fairly and equally when they have to stand for judgment before Judge Odinet,” Lafayette City Marshall Reggie Thomas told the Acadiana Advocate.
The Republican judge claims she took a sedative which affected her “mental state”.
She has apologized profusely for her behavior.
“My children and I were the victim of an armed burglary at our home,” she told The Current.
“The police were called and the assailant was arrested. The incident shook me to my core and my mental state was fragile. Anyone who knows me and my husband, knows this is contrary to the way we live our lives. I am deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and understanding as my family and I deal with the emotional aftermath of this armed burglary.”
Police say Handy was not armed when he was arrested.
