Former Ascension sheriff’s detective accused in domestic incident heads to pretrial diversion – The Advocate

GONZALES A former Ascension Parish sheriff's detective fired earlier this year after he was accused ofstalking and committing battery against his ex-girlfriend has entered a pretrial diversion program and, if completed, could see his charges dropped and possibly expunged, his defense attorney said.

Timothy G. May, 44, of Prairieville, entered the District Attorney's Probation Program on July 8. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His attorney, Hallye Braud, said prosecutors agreed to the step after May's ex-girlfriend asked Judge Jason Verdigets on April 12 to have the protective order against May removed and then later told the judge that she didn't want to prosecutors to pursue charges against him.

GONZALES The Ascension Parish sheriff fired one of his detectives after the officer's arrest over a domestic dispute with a former girlfriend.

The ex-girlfriend has told Verdigets that she and May were trying to reconcile.

In April, Verdigets told the ex-girlfriend that he was likely to grant her request but wouldn't lift the order unless prosecutors had no objections.

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The judge dismissed the protective order as a condition of May's bail on April 19, a week after ex-girlfriend had requested it.

Prosecutors had been scheduled on July 12 to present their preliminary evidence of the charges against May but Braud told the judge that May had entered the diversion program four days earlier.

Braud said later that she and her client believed it was in his best interests to pursue the program as a step to move forward.

Twenty-third Judicial District Attorney Ricky Babin offers the pretrial diversion program as an alternative to prosecution. The program can require participants to take education classes, submit to drug testing, meet with a probation officer and other steps, the DA's Office website says.

The DA's office declined to comment.

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Former Ascension sheriff's detective accused in domestic incident heads to pretrial diversion - The Advocate