Gretna officer booked with false imprisonment

Luling man pulled over woman he believed was following him in regards to a child custody case

A Luling man who served as a reserve Gretna police officer was arrested after pulling over a woman he believed was following him in regards to a child custody case and telling her to stay away, according to authorities.

On April 8, Joseph Aicklen III, 37, of 219 St. John St., chased the woman down and cornered her on the road all while having his blue light illuminated, according to St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes.

When Aicklen got out of his vehicle, he was wearing his police vest and was carrying a gun in his left hand,  Yoes said.

According to the report, Aicklen began yelling at the woman and told her she needed to stay out of his neighborhood.

Maj. Anthony Christiana, commander of operations for the Gretna Police Department, said a complaint was made about the incident on April 8 and that the department initiated an internal investigation.

“On April 16, he was terminated,” Christiana said.

That termination came before Aicklen was arrested on April 21.

Aicklen had been a reserve deputy with the Gretna Police Department since 2001.

Christiana said that Aicklen had no other infractions.

Aicklen was booked last week with false imprisonment while armed with a weapon.