Mary Gaidry, 56, of Franklinton, was booked after an encounter with deputies at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The charges listed were aggravated assault upon a police officer, battery of an officer with injury, criminal mischief and resisting an officer, according to NOLA.com. The charges are allegations; the available account does not establish how the case will be resolved.
The account reported by NOLA.com says the dispute began after Gaidry’s service dog defecated on the terminal floor. A deputy questioned her as she gathered napkins to clean the area. The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office said she threw the waste bag at a deputy, hitting the deputy’s shoulder; deputies later struggled to detain her after she allegedly kept hold of the dog’s leash. A Jefferson Parish deputy cut a finger during the struggle, and Gaidry was treated for a cut to her hand. Her dog was released to a friend. Gaidry was later released on a $15,000 bond. NOLA.com reported that she and her attorney had not responded to a request for comment.
Service-animal access and handler responsibilities
Federal guidance places responsibility for a service animal’s care and supervision, including toileting, on its handler, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The department’s guidance generally protects service-animal access, while allowing removal in limited circumstances, including when a dog is not housebroken or is out of control and its handler does not take effective action. Those standards provide context; they do not establish whether either condition applied in Gaidry’s case…