A deputy police chief in St. Martinville was fired Wednesday after allegedly threatening to kill a suspect involved in an investigation.
The St. Martinville city council voted unanimously to terminate deputy police chief Cody Laperouse during a Wednesday meeting. Laperouse, police said, made the threat during a meeting at the St. Martinville Police Department on Aug. 26, a day after in incident that police claim the suspect made remarks to kill Laperouse's mother.
Lieutenant Andrew Broussard, in an effort to resolve the situation, brought the suspect — who city officials identify only as Pat — to the police station to speak with Laperouse but said that he never expected Laperouse to act the way he did. Laperouse, Broussard said, attempted to rush the suspect before Broussard stopped him.
Laperouse then shouted at the suspect, "You f****** crackhead. I'll kill you," Broussard told council members.
Broussard said he held back Laperouse for more than two minutes before he calmed down and was escorted to Police Chief Ricky Martin's office, but Martin told him to leave the building. Laperouse was later demoted and placed on administrative leave.
Laperouse's attorney, Hunter Ahia, declined to comment after the meeting but said he will appeal the decision.
St. Martinville Mayor Jason Willis said his decision came down to maintaining the image of the police department. He said keeping Laperouse on could be seen by other officers as acceptance of that kind of behavior.
“I like Cody a lot but I am the mayor, and I’m worried about the integrity of my police department. When you put that badge on, it’s supposed to be to protect and to serve, and you have to be able to restrain your temper.” Willis said, “It was a tough decision, but it was the right decision.”
Laperouse, a former Iberia Parish sheriff's deputy, was sentenced in 2015 to a day in jail and one year of supervised release after a 2013 video surfaced of him attacking a handcuffed man during the that year's Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival, reports indicate. He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine, complete 200 hours of community service and attend anger management classes.
Laperouse later pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of depriving a man of his civil rights by use of excessive force. He and other deputies attempted to disperse crowds at a street party on Hopkins Street and the assault was captured on a cell phone video.
Laperouse was fired from the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office following an internal investigation. He joined the St. Martinville Police Department in 2015 as a patrol officer after serving his conviction, according to KLFY.