LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — City Court Judge Michelle Odinet says she’s ’embarrassed and humiliated’ after a video surfaced earlier this week that captured people repeatedly using racial slurs inside her home.
A review of the video revealed comments from multiple people who were laughing and giving playback of a foiled burglary attempt at the home.
It included the repeated use of the ‘n-word’, references to a roach and chatter about grabbing a gun.
A day after the video went viral, Odinet told media outlets that she was on a sedative and had no recollection of the events.
In a statement, she said that her “mental state was fragile” because of the attempted burglary, and that she “was given a sedative at the time of the video.”
Late Wednesday through her attorney, Odinet announced that she will immediately begin a leave of absence without pay.
Speaking with News 10, Dane Ciolino said that his client was “embarrassed and humiliated and sorry for what she has done and the harm she has caused to the community.”
He said Odinet will use her time away from the bench to think about “what is next.”
According to Ciolino, the Louisiana Supreme Court will move to appoint an interim judge to hear court cases.