SORRENTO, La. (AP) - Sorrento voters could be faced with an interesting decision Nov. 4 - elect a new police chief or do away with the position altogether, allowing the town to hire another agency to do the job.
State Sen. Jody Amedee said he plans to introduce legislation this year at the request of town officials to allow Sorrento voters to abolish their elected chief of police and Police Department in the current term of ousted former Chief Earl Theriot Jr.
Because of timing problems with election deadlines and the speed of the legislative process, Amedee said the Town Council will not be able to call the referendum election until Nov. 4 if his legislation is passed this spring.
Nov. 4 is also the same date the Town Council already has set for a mandated special election to fill the remaining three years on Theriot’s term.
The Advocate reports (https://bit.ly/1dDKOwN ) Amedee’s proposed legislation would allow Sorrento voters the chance to do away with the chief’s position and Police Department without delay on Nov. 4.
Amedee said the two elections should make for an interesting race for chief.
“They’ll be running and campaigning against doing away with it at the same time,” he said.
In the meantime, Sorrento residents likely will have to rely on Gov. Bobby Jindal to select an interim police chief.
Mayor Mike Lambert said no special meeting was planned by a Thursday deadline to name an interim.
A plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Baton Rouge called for Theriot to step down before he entered his plea. He pleaded guilty Feb. 10 to lying to an FBI agent about “inappropriate sexual contact” with a drunk woman Theriot had picked up after a 911 call Nov. 1. The allegations surfaced in a civil lawsuit in mid-January.
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Information from: The Advocate, https://theadvocate.com
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