A New Orleans police officer accused of stalking appeared in court Thursday and was ordered held without bond pdning another court hearing on Monday.
Kaja Rhea faces more than 30 counts, including stalking, obscene phone calls, and violating a protective order, WDSU reported.
The police department said that Rhea had been reassigned to administrative duties while the case was under investigation.
According to NOLA.com, Rhea — a 25-year-old special operations officer — is accused of beginning a “dangerous escalation” of harassment against his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend on Valentine’s Day when she posted a photo of herself with her new partner. An arrest warrant says that Rhea stalked the boyfriend in his police vehicle and later tried to fight him in Kenner.
Police say Rhea staked out the man’s residence and followed him in the early hours of February 23, after sending him texts “questioning his involvement with (the ex-girlfriend) and whether he lived on Canal Street,” according to a warrant for the officer’s arrest.
A month later, Rhea challenged him to a fight in Kenner, which was declined. Rhea allegedly “confronted (his victim) in a threatening manner, insisting he come outside to ‘handle business’ while hurling insults, including calling him a coward,” according to an affidavit. He allegedly confronted his ex outside her workplace, where he took her phone and used it to send the boyfriend “harassing messages.”
Rhea was initially arrested on March 26 on a single count of stalking. He was released on his own recognizance at that time but was rearrested this week on multiple counts.
The judge on Thursday caution Rhea to abide by the protective order, should he be released, barring him from contact with either of his victims or their families and told him not to own or possess any weapons.
Rhea was a police recruit in 2021. He was previously disciplined for failing to write a report about an aggravated assault in December 2022.
