A Republican candidate out on bond after being charged with two counts of child rape is now poised to become a police chief in Louisiana.
Christopher “Chris” Paul, who describes himself as a “fervent Trump supporter,” was arrested in September after authorities accused him of raping two girls when they were 13 years old in 2005 and 2006. He turned himself in on Sept. 8 and was booked on two counts of second-degree rape. He was later released on bond.
And now, unless something changes, Paul is set to become the next police chief of Elizabeth, a village of roughly 400 people in Allen Parish.
That’s because the other candidate is out.
Paul had been running against Zachary LaCaze, who withdrew after learning that his federal civilian job at Fort Polk conflicted with his campaign under the Hatch Act. LaCaze said he wanted the police chief job but ultimately decided he could not give up the job that supports his family.
Paul is running as a Republican. LaCaze was running as a nonpartisan candidate.
The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office told local officials that once LaCaze’s withdrawal is formally received, Paul will be elected to the position.
The office also said Paul remains legally eligible despite the charges.
So, yes. A man facing rape charges involving two children could soon be the police chief of this Louisiana village.
And that has understandably gotten people talking.
Elizabeth Mayor Mandy Green, also a Republican, responded to residents’ concerns by emphasizing that Paul has not been convicted of anything.
“I hear your concerns regarding the upcoming election for Chief of Police,” Green wrote in a Facebook statement.
“Charges are allegations, not a conviction,” she said, adding that anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Green also said that neither her office nor the Board of Aldermen has the authority to remove Paul from the ballot.
That is an important distinction: Paul has been charged, not convicted, and the allegations against him have not been established in court.
But the unusual situation has now put the village’s entire system for selecting its police chief under a microscope.
During a special meeting in September, residents and village officials discussed whether Elizabeth should stop electing its police chief and instead appoint one.
The argument was pretty straightforward: An appointed chief would be accountable to the village government, while an elected chief operates independently of the mayor and Board of Aldermen.
Councilman Ken Kelly said the council can pass ordinances but cannot force an elected chief to enforce them. An appointed chief, by contrast, would answer to the governing authority.
The village has now approved putting the question to voters.
A Dec. 12 referendum will ask whether Elizabeth should replace its elected police chief with an appointed one. The proposed change would come after the current election, however, meaning it does not resolve the immediate situation involving Paul.
And Paul is expected to take office Jan. 1 if his opponent’s withdrawal is finalized.
According to Allen Parish Sheriff Doug Hebert, investigators received a complaint in early August concerning allegations that Paul raped two girls in 2005 and 2006.
Detectives interviewed the alleged victims and witnesses before obtaining an arrest warrant, according to authorities.
Paul then turned himself in.
The allegations surfaced nearly two decades after the alleged incidents, and there has been no conviction. Paul remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Still, the timing could hardly be more consequential for Elizabeth.
The village is now preparing to install a new police chief while that chief-elect faces two serious felony charges.
And residents are being asked, in effect, to watch the situation unfold while also deciding whether they want to change the system that produced it.
