Super Taters owner arrested at restaurant, claims retaliation for complaint against Scott PD
Jerry Bobb, owner of Super Taters restaurant in Scott, was arrested at his place of business Monday after trying to file a complaint with Scott Police that morning for what he called harassment by officers a few days before.
Bobb, a 42-year-old Black man from Lafayette, shared publicly about the arrest in a post on his business Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.
He said Scott Police Officers came to Super Taters with an arrest warrant about 5 p.m. Monday, handcuffed him and transported him to the Lafayette Parish Correctional Facility.
"I've been to a lot of places and I've met a lot of wonderful people....but one place that I've never been...was jail...locked up and treated like a criminal complete with fingerprints and a mugshot," reads Bobb's post.
"My charge....as far as I know was being a 'suspicious Black Man, in a Blacked out vehicle' on December 10th 2021 that was innocently sitting outside of the business that I have owned and operated for almost 8 years now."
A news release from the Scott Police Department states that a patrol officer was conducting a check of closed businesses in the 5500 block of Cameron Street, which is where the shopping center that includes Super Taters is located, at about 10:45 p.m. Friday when the officer saw a man, later identified as Bobb, standing outside a truck "parked in the back of a closed bank."
Bobb's restaurant is located behind a former Home Bank as well as a Zeus restaurant and other businesses that share the parking lot and shopping center.
According to police, Bobb entered the vehicle and left the parking lot onto Cameron Street "as the officer passed," and the officer conducted a traffic stop "to investigate why the subject was parked in the parking lot of a building formerly utilized as a bank."
Police say Bobb exited the vehicle, refused to identify himself, questioned the officer about why he was stopped, and interrupted the officer. Additional officers arrived and attempted to detain Bobb "due to his noncompliance and refusal to identify himself," according to the release.
"Bobb attempted to evade the officer, cursing at officers, and vigorously pulled away," according to the release.
More: Lafayette Judge Michelle Odinet: What we know as Josh Guillory, ACLU join rebukes
Officers did not arrest Bobb at that time but later applied for an arrest warrant, which was signed by Judge Andre Doguet, charging Bobb with two counts of resisting arrest. He also was issued a citation for an expired driver's license, according to police.
Bobb believes his arrest Monday was a direct result of a complaint he attempted to file against Scott Police officers Monday morning and that being arrested at his business in front of his customers was an effort "to humiliate me, tarnish my reputation in this community and interrupt my successfully conducting business in the City of Scott," he wrote on Facebook.
"I'm no legal expert but that sure seems like harassment to me," reads his post. "So in case there are any additional interactions w/ Scott P.D I will assume that they are also in retaliation to the complaint I filed with the department on Monday 12/13/21. This is unfair treatment and I will NOT be silenced."
More: Tutoring, online programs: How Acadiana educators are addressing learning loss in math
His Facebook post garnered more than 1,200 shares and 570 comments within 24 hours.
Scott Police Chief Chad Leger said the complaint lodged by Bobb isn't public record until Internal Affairs completes its investigation.
Contact children's issues reporter Leigh Guidry at Lguidry@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @LeighGGuidry. Breaking news reporter Ashley White contributed to this report. Follow her at @AshleyyDi.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Super Taters owner arrested at restaurant, claims retaliation from Scott PD
