Claudette Olivier / Church Point News
During a special meeting Thursday night, the Church Point Town Council unanimously approved a motion to turn over all the information from an executive session to the Acadia Parish District Attorney’s office for a legal opinion.
The council called the special meeting to discuss a controversial incident that occurred last Monday evening in the town’s Magistrate’s Court.
Church Point Police Chief Dale Thibodeaux and his officers exited the Court after one particular case was found not guilty by the magistrate, leaving Magistrate Brad Andrus to cancel court.
The only item on the special meeting’s original agenda was under Law enforcement/miscellaneous/discussion, and the item was described as an anticipated executive session for Thibodeaux to explain to the council the actions taken during the Nov. 18 court session, along with explanation of social media postings and all other relevant matters.
The special council meeting, held at Town Hall, was open to the general public About 15 to 20 people attended. All council members were in attendance.
Mayor Ryan “Spanky” Meche addressed a Church Point Police Department Facebook post made on Nov. 20.
Meche said, “In the Facebook post, it was said that, ‘As for me (Thibodeaux) committing malfeasance in office, there is no law stating that the chief of police or police department must lawfully provide security in the magistrate court.’
“There may be a disagreement, but according to state law, the marshal/chief shall attend the court and serve as process and act as executive officer,” Meche said. “That does not mean that he has to secure the place. That just means that he has to be there in the executive office spot or he has to appoint someone to be in that. That may have just been mistaken, not a big deal, but the public is asking, coming down on me pretty hard about this.”
The mayor continued, “Next, people are thinking that it was brought up for the news that there was malfeasance in office that happened, and that’s the news. I’m not saying that’s a fact. I’m not saying guilty. I’m not saying anything.
“The thing that they (the news report) was that the officers were under subpoena to be here and were instructed to leave. That’s where — and I’m not saying its malfeasance — I’m saying that’s where the interpretation of malfeasance went. I’m not saying innocent. I’m not saying guilty. I’m not saying anything about it.”
Meche also addressed where the post stated that officers attending court do not get paid for working mayor’s court and that the officers are free to leave at any time they chose.
“That is incorrect because they were subpoenaed to be there and they are paid for those subpoenas,” Meche said.
He continued, “Facebook is a thing that, whatever you read, it gets blown to monumental proportion, and I just like to make sure that there’s no lies, there’s no hidden, there’s no hiding because I don’t like that.”
Andrus then described what happened in the Magistrate’s Court on the evening of Nov. 18.
“There was a court session held,” Andrus said. “There was a trial. There was a not guilty verdict read by me, rendered by me. Thereafter, all the police officers left. That’s all I have to say.”
Thibodeaux asked to state his rebuttal to Andrus’s statement in an executive session, and the council unanimously approved the motion to go into executive session.
After exiting the 45 minute executive session, Thibodeaux spoke to the council.
“I just want everybody to know that I will continue to stand by my officers and my department, always, as long as they are in the right,” Thibodeaux said. “I personally don’t feel that what I did was professional, and I will leave it at that.”
Several members of the council thanked Thibodeaux for his statement.
Following the chief’s statement, the council unanimously approved the motion to turn to over all the information from the executive session, under the advice of legal counsel, to the district attorney’s office.
Andrus said it would be a conflict to represent himself as the town attorney and the magistrate during the special meeting, so Town of Sunset Magistrate Ben Trant served as the town attorney during the meeting.
Meche said that the motion to turn the information over to the district attorney was not any judgement in regard to the Magistrate’s Court incident.
Prior to entering the executive session, Meche addressed those in attendance at the meeting.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — I don’t know if people don’t know or they don’t understand or I’m not explaining it good enough, but I am the mayor of this town,” Meche said. “I am not the chief of police in this town. I cannot reprimand, I cannot suspend, I cannot do anything to the police department, and I don’t think people understand that. They say ‘the mayor’ and they think that he is all powerful, and he is not.”
Meche said that he is working very hard at his job as mayor, and he thinks the town’s water, sewer and street departments are being run very well.
“I think everything is looking good in Church Point,” Meche added.
Meche then spoke about complaints he has received about the police department.
“I am tired of being run through the mill every time something happens at the police department,” he said. “Any ticket that goes on at the police department, I get reamed from one end to another. Every single action that happens at the police department, I get crucified on, and I am tired of it. You understand?
“Everybody out there — I do not run the police department. I do not answer to the police department. If you have a problem with the water, if you have a problem with the sewer or the streets, my door is open. But if there is anything to do with the police department, I am not your guy. I was voted in to do my job, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
Meche said that Thibodeaux was elected to run the police department.
“I am not saying nothing (sic) about him,” Meche continued. “I am saying that he runs the police department and any questions, comments or complaints or if you want to crucify somebody, stay out of my office. Go to his. I’m tired of it. I will do my job to the fullest, and I will do a great job for the citizens of Church Point. Because why? Number one in my heart is Church Point.”
The meeting’s agenda was unanimously amended to introduce two ordinances, one to implement a social media policy for town employees and another to add two security officers at the Mayor’s Court.
Subsequent motions to introduce the two items passed unanimously.