A Louisiana politician is under fire for hiring an insurance agent at the heart of a scandal involving local law enforcement.
Terrebone Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter created a stir when he seized the phones and computers of a suspected online critic, according to a report by local CBS affiliate WWL. Larpenter had vowed to “come after” a local blogger who he said was lying about him. Meanwhile, insurance agent Tony Alford, whose company writes coverage for the sheriff’s office, filed a criminal complaint against the same blogger.
Although the blogger is anonymous, writing on a website called ExposeDAT and on Facebook under the pseudonym “John Turner,” the sheriff’s office said it traced the posts to local police officer Wayne Anderson. The sheriff executed search warrants on Anderson’s house last week. Anderson denies the allegation and is appealing the warrants in state and federal court, WWL reported.
Alford and the sheriff’s office contend that Anderson committed a misdemeanor by stating that Alford pays a six-figure salary to Larpenter’s wife, Priscilla, who writes insurance for the sheriff’s office. The issue is gaining new traction because the parish president recently asked for an ordinance allowing him to hire Alford as a broker for the parish’s property and casualty coverage, WWL reported. The council has voted to send the matter to a public hearing later this month.
Many question the arrangement because the parish council already approved new insurance brokered by Alford without an ordinance or a contract – which is required by the parish code. There was also no public bidding for the contract, WWL reported.
Many citizens are also irate because they believe the sheriff and Alford are attempting to quash free speech, WWL reported.
“It’s painfully clear public trust has been lost and it must be regained,” Houma Downtown Development Corp. board member Shelly Ronquillo told WWL. “I wholeheartedly support First Amendment rights and everyone’s right to free speech and the freedom to talk openly about public officials without fear of retaliation. And I’m concerned that freedom has been squashed in this community.”
