A local man has accused Mobile Municipal Judge Karlos Finely of pulling him off a horse and striking him in the face several times after the animal defecated at a high school alumni event over the weekend.
Lagniappe obtained a police report from the alleged incident Tuesday, which was reportedly filed by Howard Finley Glaude Jr. shortly after 7 p.m., Nov. 30, following the Toulminville-Leflore Alumni Weekend celebrations on Saturday. Glaude said he and Finley and not related but they did graduate high school together.
According to the Mobile Police Department, the complaint was for “harassment (simple assault).”
“The victim [Glaude] advised that he was riding his horse through a crowd so other participants could pet the horse and take pictures with the horse. He advised that the subject [Finley] attempted to pull him off the horse because the horse defecated in the grass areas,” a report from the responding officer reads. “The victim advised that he was able to get away but a few minutes later the subject came back and successfully pulled him off the horse and struck the victim in his face multiple times.”
Mobile Municipal Judge Karlos Finley was appointed to the bench in 2015.
Reached by a reporter Tuesday, Glaude said he was involved in an incident with Finley before and after the parade at 1868 Allison Street near LeFlore High School and did file a subsequent police report.
According to Glaude, the trouble with Finley started when a horse he was riding earlier in the day had used the bathroom — something he said, “You can’t control” and that “Goes along with [parades].” At that time, Glaude said Finely used “some vulgarities” and tried unsuccessfully to pull him from the horse.
“He just had a sense of entitlement in his eyes,” Glaude added. “Later, I was letting the kids pet the horse and take pictures, and he approached me and was able to pull me down. I hit the ground on my back,” Glaude told Lagniappe. “He did strike me one or two times, but I also struck him as well.”
He said the physical altercation only lasted a few seconds before bystanders were able to break it up. Asked if he thought Finley might have been under the influence of alcohol, Glaude said “everybody was having a good time, but I didn’t have my breathalyzer out so I couldn’t tell you”
The police report obtained by Lagniappe indicated Glaude didn’t report the incident until around 7 p.m. that evening, despite being within a few hundred yards from MPD’s 3rd Precinct. He said he didn’t call the police until he returned home because he “felt like [he] was wronged.”
Finley, a John L. LeFlore High School graduate, does appear to have attended the event, according to photos posted on social media.
Police are continuing to investigate the claims, but at this early state, Finley told Lagniappe he didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment other than to “proclaim [his] complete and total innocence from any reported wrongdoing.” An MPD spokesperson said she could not provide further details either.
However, when asked by a reporter, Mobile Public Safety Director James Barber said Finley had “claimed self-defense” in relation to the incident. Because Finley has served as a municipal judge since 2015, Barber said the city would have to appoint a special prosecutor and special judge if Glaude were to pursue any kind of criminal charge against him.
So far, there has been no evidence of criminal charges being filed and no arrests have been made relative to any of the parties involved in the alleged incident. However, an MPD investigation is ongoing.
The complete officer’s narrative from the Nov. 30 police report taken after the alleged incident is below:
“On. Nov. 30, 2019, I responded to the listed location in reference to a harassment complaint. The victim advised that while enjoying his time at the John L. LeFlore Alumni weekend he was harassed by the subject. The victim advised that he was riding his horse through a crowd so other participants could pet the horse and take pictures with the horse. He advised that the subject attempted to pull him off the horse because the horse defecated in the grass areas. The victim advised that was able to get away but a few minutes later the subject came back and successfully pulled him off the horse and struck the victim in his face multiple times. The victim advised that the event happened earlier in the day and was just now reporting the incident. The victim advised that the subject was possibly upset about the horse being in the crowd were the participants were located. I gathered all the information and departed from the scene.”
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