Council puts independent investigation on hold

By Chad Ruiz
St. Tammany News
Published on Monday, July 28, 2008 9:48 AM CDT



Mayor Pro Tem Trilby Lenfant tabled a motion Thursday to hire a law firm to conduct the external investigation into an incident involving Mayor Eddie Price and the Mandeville Police Department.

“No comment,” was all Lenfant said concerning an hour-long executive session held to discuss the matter.

After City Council members emerged from the meeting, Lenfant motioned to table the resolution to hire the Hymel Davis & Petersen LLC law firm until further notice. The council voted to invoke its authority to investigate at the July 10 meeting after Mandeville Police Chief Tom Buell publicly released an account given by two of his officers concerning a 2006 night when they allegedly stopped Price for driving erratically but neglected to issue a citation or make an arrest.

Buell said an internal investigation had immediately begun, but Lenfant announced it was “incumbent upon the council to conduct an independent investigation.”

This is one of two incidents involving Price driving while under the influence. The other occurred on the Causeway Bridge last year and resulted in several Causeway Police Officers losing their jobs.

In other news:

• The council approved a resolution executing a cooperative endeavor agreement between the city and parish for the repair of the drainage weir at the Parc Du Lac subdivision. The weir, which was on the verge of collapse, drains into the Golden Glen neighborhood. The parish made emergency repairs to prevent any further deterioration while an engineer surveys the area and determines the best approach to replacing the weir.

• An ordinance was introduced that, if passed, would convert Galvez Street into a two-way roadway from Villere Street to U.S. Highway 190. The measure will be voted on at the Aug. 7 meeting.


Comments

1 comment(s)

    Ex - Mandeville resident wrote on Jul 28, 2008 3:45 PM:

    " Why not send the information to Bobby Jindal and let him take care of Price. "

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment to this story, or respond to other readers. Please use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The St. Tammany News is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in thesttammanynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the St. Tammany News. The St. Tammany News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized St. Tammany News spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

(optional)
Current Word Count: