NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A DeSoto Parish grand jury scheduled Monday to probe allegations of illegal activity by a member of the state’s education policy-making board has been postponed until Friday.
The Times-Picayune reports (https://bit.ly/1dqQb70 ) the panel was set Monday to hear a case involving Walter Lee, a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grand jury will look into allegations raised in an audit that Lee broke state law and violated the Louisiana constitution during his 13-year tenure as superintendent of the DeSoto Parish School Board.
Court officials say the case was pushed back after an old message left on the court’s phone incorrectly led some jurors to believe empaneling for the case had been canceled. The clerk of court confirmed the grand jury will now meet on Friday.
The grand jury will look into allegations raised in an audit that Lee broke state law and violated the Louisiana constitution during his 13-year tenure as superintendent of the DeSoto Parish School Board. During that time, Lee also sat on BESE.
According to the audit, Lee billed both boards for at least $13,000 in hotel and fuel expenses between 2009 and 2012, in violation of multiple state laws. It also found he terminated the lease early on his Chevrolet Traverse, a vehicle acquired for him by the school system, costing it at least $10,653. He then bought the vehicle at an amount substantially lower than market value, possibly in violation of both state law and the Louisiana Constitution.
DeSoto Parish District Attorney Richard Johnson said Lee could be charged with felony theft and malfeasance while in office, crimes that carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
He expects the grand jury deliberations to take no more than a day.
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Information from: The Times-Picayune, https://www.nola.com
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