Abita Springs Mayor threatened with jail time over subdivision development dispute

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Abita Springs Mayor Dan Curtis faces new trouble as a judge threatens to send him to jail indefinitely.

22nd Judicial District Court Judge William Burris found Curtis to be in contempt of court on Wednesday. The decision stems from a legal battle between the Town of Abita Springs and subdivision developer Lonesome Development LLC.

The Town of Abita Springs approved plans for a subdivision in 2017; however, after Curtis became mayor, the town decided to back out of the deal, citing concerns about infrastructure. Lonesome Development sued the town and won. A judge ruled Abita must uphold its end of the bargain.

However, on Wednesday, Judge Burris said Curtis was ignoring that order. He ruled Curtis must report to jail on Monday, March 11 at 9 a.m., unless he can convince the judge before then that he plans to comply with the order.

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It doesn’t appear that Curtis will comply. A docket entry sent to Fox 8 by Curtis’ spokesperson says, “The Town plans to appeal Judge Burris’s ruling today but will also seek a stay to prevent Mayor Curtis from having to remain in jail indefinitely until he agrees to abide by the Judgment. The Mayor does not understand why he should go to jail simply for protecting the residents of Abita Springs from an environmental catastrophe.”

Curtis also came under fire recently amid a series of Fox 8 reports that showed two former town employees may have abused town credit cards. Documents appear to show more than $100,000 in charges on personal items, including food delivery services, vacations, wine, and even a purchase at a sex toy shop.

At a recent meeting, some residents blamed Curtis and his administration, saying they should have more closely monitored the town’s bank accounts and asked for backup documentation for credit card purchases before paying the bills.

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