LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal prosecutors filed a new indictment Tuesday against two former Louisville officers accused of falsifying a warrant that led police to Breonna Taylor’s door before they fatally shot her. The Justice Department's superseding indictment comes weeks after a federal judge threw out major felony charges against former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt.
Kyle Meany. The new indictment includes additional allegations about how the former officers allegedly falsified the affidavit for the search warrant. It says they both knew the affidavit they used to obtain the warrant to search Taylor's home contained information that was false, misleading and out of date, omitted “material information" and knew it lacked the necessary probable cause.
The indictment says if the judge who signed the warrant had known that “key statements in the affidavit were false and misleading,” she would not have approved it “and there would not have been a search at Taylor’s home.” Attorney Thomas Clay, who represents Jaynes, said the new indictment raises “new legal arguments, which we are researching to file our response." An attorney for Meany did not immediately respond to a message for comment late Tuesday.
Federal charges against Jaynes and Meany were announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022.
Garland accused Jaynes and Meany, who were not present at the raid, of knowing they falsified part of the warrant and put Taylo.