Louisiana Republican official John Raymond, who also serves as a pastor and headmaster at a Christian school, has been arrested for a second time for physically abusing a 4-year-old child, forcing him to step down from his pastorship, local CBS affiliate WWLTV-4 reports.
Raymond, 60, had previously been arrested for allegedly taping shut the mouths of four students who were allegedly talking too much at the Christian school he runs in Slidell, a city in the St. Tammany Parish.
Slidell Police confirmed Monday that Raymond was arrested again, as another student has come forward with allegations of cruelty.
According to the station, “Police say one incident involved a pre-K student, who would occasionally have tantrums. It’s said that during one of those incidents, Raymond placed his hands over the 4-year-old boys mouth, until he went limp.”
In a separate incident, police said the same child was seen “dragged by his ankles,” by Raymond, after the child refused to leave with him.
Raymond also serves on St. Tammany’s Republican Parish Executive Committee.
Read the full report on WWLTV-4.