New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is taking precautions by filing a temporary protective order against a woman accused of stalking her.
According to records of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Cantrell claims the woman, Anne Breaud, has been taking photos and videos of her — “aggressively” — for the past two years, including taking pictures of her dining on a restaurant balcony in April 2024. “The defendant then proceeded to the street to find my vehicle, where she captured additional photos and video,” documents read.
“The defendant also made several phone calls in my sight.”
forwp-incontent-ad1">The mayor says the woman’s actions “have placed me and my family in greater risk of being harmed, jeopardizing my safety, especially at places I frequent,” according to NOLA. The picture in question shows Cantrell dining with Jeffrey Vappie, a New Orleans police officer and member of her security team, who has since been placed on administrative leave after the photo went viral.
The two were also seen engaging in conversation at a bar with glasses of wine, sparking questions of Vappie’s work ethic and professionalism by the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a police watchdog group.
Vappie wasn’t mentioned in Cantrell’s protective order request, but Breaud was accused of submitting photos and video footage to Fox 8, which the news station says is not true.
The order prohibits Breaud from being within 100 yards of the mayor, her home, or city hall, as well as prohibiting her from making contact with Cantrell or her family. Judge Paulette Iron approved the request for ten days, with a hearing being set for May 20. However, legal analyst Joe Raspanti is putting the future of the order in question. “You’re the mayor. People take your picture all the time,” he said.
“So I think she has; I think she’s going to have a problem with this. I think that what she’s asking for may not be appropriate.”
Vappie has been the subject of controversy before in regard to his professional conduct while guarding the mayor and how he is spending his time while on duty. He was reprimanded by NOPD’s Public Integrity Bureau in June 2023 and was removed from Cantrell’s detail for four months during an investigation.
The elected official was listed in the officer’s divorce filing, as Vappie’s ex-wife accused the pair of having an affair. Both Cantrell and Vappie have denied those allegations.