Man accused of child rape set to become police chief in small Louisiana town

A candidate for police chief in a small Louisiana town candidate is on course to be elected unopposed despite two charges of child rape pending against him, leaving his community to weigh whether to convert the position into an appointed office rather than one determined at the ballot box.

Christopher Paul, a Republican who on 6 August signed up to run for chief of police in the south-western Louisiana village of Elizabeth, was arrested on 8 September on allegations that he raped two girls in 2005 and 2006.

Zachary LaCaze was the only other candidate to qualify to run in the 3 November election for Elizabeth police chief. However, LaCaze announced that he was withdrawing from the race on 23 September after learning that his candidacy was illicit because he worked for the federal government.

“My full-time job is what provides for my wife and son, and I cannot take that away from them,” LaCaze, who listed no party affiliation, wrote in a social media post. “So, as much as it hurts me, I have to step away from this election.”

LaCaze’s withdrawal came well after the deadline for candidates to sign up to run had passed. Meaning Paul would be elected by default while out on $60,000 bail in connection with the child rape allegations made against him by the sheriff’s office of Allen parish, Louisiana, whose jurisdiction includes Elizabeth.

Only a felony conviction would result in Paul, 46, becoming ineligible to take office when the Elizabeth police chief term begins on 1 January. And with that date looming, it was unclear when or how the case against Paul might be resolved.

The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing violence against children, called on Paul to step aside from running in the 3 November election with the case against him pending, the Louisiana news outlet KPLC reported.

Elizabeth’s mayor, Mandy Leo Green, issued a separate statement saying that neither her office nor the village governing council “can alter the ballot” for the 3 November race despite “concerns regarding the … election”.

“Charges are allegations, not a conviction,” Green said. “The candidate in question has been arrested and charged, but has not been convicted of any crime. Under the law, anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is an important part of our justice system.”

In the meantime, Elizabeth’s governing council approved a special 12 December election for community voters to determine whether the village’s police chief should be by appointment subject to board approval, documents show.

The council’s minutes do not indicate to what extent Paul’s unopposed police chief election motivated the scheduling of that special election. It is unclear when the village’s office of the police chief would become by appointment if voters ratified that proposed change.

Louisiana law also allows voters to recall elected officials. In a community the size of Elizabeth, that would require 40% of qualified voters to sign a recall petition by hand, according to the Louisiana agency which administers elections.

Paul, on Saturday, said he had no comment when asked if he would discuss his run for Elizabeth police chief.