Judge denies arrest warrant against NOLA radio host who allegedly attempted to extort station

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The case of a New Orleans radio host accused of attempting to extort his employer for money has hit the pause button after a judge denied an arrest warrant against former WWL Radio host Seth Dunlap.

• Dunlap, who was terminated by the station Oct. 31, 2019, allegedly attempted to extort $1.8 million from the station in exchange for dropping a lawsuit alleging a hostile and homophobic workplace.
• The lawsuit stems from a Sept. 10 retweet that referred to Dunlap, who is openly gay, using a homophobic slur that was sent from the station’s official account.
• However, the station’s own investigation alleges that it traced the retweet to Dunlap’s own phone — and it turned evidence over to the local police.
• On Nov. 8, a New Orleans police detective went before a judge to request an arrest warrant for Dunlap for extortion, reports the website NOLA.com.
• However, that request was denied by the judge.
• NOLA.com reports that while the detective presented evidence to the judge, the judge apparently decided it wasn’t enough evidence to warrant an extortion charge.
• Although this brings the case to a bit of a roadblock, the police can still use the same evidence it has to request an arrest warrant for a different charge.
• Alternatively, police could also bring additional evidence to back the extortion charge.
• WWL Radio is not owned by the same company that owns the TV station with the same call letters in the market.