Is Brian Pope Quietly Preparing To Run For Lafayette Parish Sheriff?
The legal saga involving Lafayette City Marshal Bryan Pope is ongoing, but is he already planning to run for another office?
On Monday, a Reddit user says he received a robocall in which he was asked specific questions about Pope's favorability. Other questions focused on current Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mark Garber.
KPEL News contacted the Reddit user. We spoke by phone and agreed to protect his identity. He said the pollster on the phone said it was paid for by Brian Pope. He believes it said "campaign", but did mention the word Sheriff.
The robocall came from a local number. We have chosen not to publish that number, but a call to it this morning went to voicemail. Other users on the thread say they received the same call, but hung up before the person on the line could ask them questions.
So what does the law say about Pope running for office after his conviction for perjury and malfeasance in office? Well, a constitutional amendment that passed last year in the state would theoretically bar him from running for office for five years after his sentence is served.
§10.1. Disqualification from Seeking or Holding an Elective Office
(A) Disqualification. The following persons shall not be permitted to qualify as a candidate for elective public office or take public elective office or appointment of honor, trust, or profit in this state:
- (1) A person actually under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony.
- (2) A person who has been convicted within this state of a felony and who has exhausted all legal remedies, or who has been convicted under the laws of any other state or of the United States or of any foreign government or country of a crime which, if committed in this state, would be a felony and who has exhausted all legal remedies and has not afterwards been pardoned either by the governor of this state or by the officer of the state, nation, government, or country having such authority to pardon in the place where the person was convicted and sentenced.
(B) Exception. The provisions of Paragraph (A) of this Section shall not prohibit a person convicted of a felony from qualifying as a candidate for elective public office or holding such elective public office or appointment of honor, trust, or profit if more than five years have elapsed since the completion of his original sentence for the conviction.
(C) The provisions of Paragraph (A) of this Section shall not prohibit a person from being employed by the state or a political subdivision.[5]
We reached out to Lafayette Attorney Brett Grayson who said he only represents Pope in his criminal matters. He could not speak to the details of this story.
As far as his current legal matters are concerned, Pope is due back in court next week for sentencing. He's been free on bail since his conviction back in October. According to the Advocate, he's been suspended without pay from his position as Marshal since that day.