Candidate claims bias in police actions
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A Republican candidate for the District 11 Metro Council seat said Baton Rouge police officers were “shamelessly biased” when they issued him a misdemeanor summons Sept. 8 on a count of simple battery.
Scott Lemoine, in a news release Friday, said investigating officers didn’t interview witnesses and sided with the alleged victim, Kerry Clark, because he is a retired officer with the Baton Rouge Police Department.
“It was a real strange situation,” Lemoine said in a telephone interview Friday. “I’ve never been in anything like it.”
Sgt. Don Kelly, a Police Department spokesman, said Monday that Lemoine can file a complaint with the department’s Internal Affairs Division if he feels he was not treated fairly.
Lemoine said he did so late Monday.
Lemoine was issued the summons after he allegedly struck Clark with a newspaper about 10:45 a.m. at 9111 Interline Ave, police have said. The incident occurred after Lemoine and the retired officer argued about some work Lemoine did on his taxes.
The officer who issued the summons said in a police report that when she arrived “it appeared as if he (Lemoine) was trying to get into an altercation.”
Lemoine said he was merely trying to get Clark off his property. Lemoine said he asked Clark at least 20 times to leave after Clark began screaming profanities at Lemoine’s staff.
When Clark refused to leave, Lemoine said, “I tore his return in half and tossed it into his chest. The retired officer said I assaulted him and he called several of his friends on the police force.”
Lemoine claimed in his news release that five police units, three from the department’s Special Response Team, showed up.
Kelly said police received a call from Clark after they got a call from a “concerned citizen” who indicated there might be a weapon involved in the incident.
Although Kelly did not know how many officers responded to the incident, he said it would not be unusual for several officers to respond to a call about a disorderly person who possibly had a weapon.
Clark, who denied confronting Lemoine, said he did not tell police on the phone or at the scene that he was a retired police officer.
Clark said Lemoine hit him with a stack of papers after Clark told Lemoine he didn’t want to hear about his Hurricane Gustav woes.
Clark said all he wanted was for Lemoine to sign his deceased father’s tax returns that had been sent back twice with errors during the past six months.
“I did not confront him, I did not cuss him, I showed great restraint,” Clark said. “He showed poor business practices and the inability to restrain his temper.”
Lemoine said in his news release that he spoke with Police Chief Jeff LeDuff and claimed the police chief apologized for the way the officers on scene conducted the investigation.
Kelly said LeDuff did not apologize for the way officers handled the investigation but told Lemoine he was sorry Lemoine didn’t feel the investigation was handled fairly.
Lemoine also said in the release that he spoke with Baton Rouge Union of Police president Cpl. Chris Stewart and claimed Stewart said he was embarrassed by the investigation and by Clark’s behavior.
Stewart said Monday he spoke with Lemoine but only said he was sorry Lemoine didn’t feel the investigation was handled fairly and that Lemoine could file a complaint.
Lemoine issued a retraction to his release Monday, saying: “Please retract the comment made in my press release stating comments made by the President of the Police Union. It should read, comments made by members of the police union.”
Scott Lemoine, in a news release Friday, said investigating officers didn’t interview witnesses and sided with the alleged victim, Kerry Clark, because he is a retired officer with the Baton Rouge Police Department.
“It was a real strange situation,” Lemoine said in a telephone interview Friday. “I’ve never been in anything like it.”
Sgt. Don Kelly, a Police Department spokesman, said Monday that Lemoine can file a complaint with the department’s Internal Affairs Division if he feels he was not treated fairly.
Lemoine said he did so late Monday.
Lemoine was issued the summons after he allegedly struck Clark with a newspaper about 10:45 a.m. at 9111 Interline Ave, police have said. The incident occurred after Lemoine and the retired officer argued about some work Lemoine did on his taxes.
The officer who issued the summons said in a police report that when she arrived “it appeared as if he (Lemoine) was trying to get into an altercation.”
Lemoine said he was merely trying to get Clark off his property. Lemoine said he asked Clark at least 20 times to leave after Clark began screaming profanities at Lemoine’s staff.
When Clark refused to leave, Lemoine said, “I tore his return in half and tossed it into his chest. The retired officer said I assaulted him and he called several of his friends on the police force.”
Lemoine claimed in his news release that five police units, three from the department’s Special Response Team, showed up.
Kelly said police received a call from Clark after they got a call from a “concerned citizen” who indicated there might be a weapon involved in the incident.
Although Kelly did not know how many officers responded to the incident, he said it would not be unusual for several officers to respond to a call about a disorderly person who possibly had a weapon.
Clark, who denied confronting Lemoine, said he did not tell police on the phone or at the scene that he was a retired police officer.
Clark said Lemoine hit him with a stack of papers after Clark told Lemoine he didn’t want to hear about his Hurricane Gustav woes.
Clark said all he wanted was for Lemoine to sign his deceased father’s tax returns that had been sent back twice with errors during the past six months.
“I did not confront him, I did not cuss him, I showed great restraint,” Clark said. “He showed poor business practices and the inability to restrain his temper.”
Lemoine said in his news release that he spoke with Police Chief Jeff LeDuff and claimed the police chief apologized for the way the officers on scene conducted the investigation.
Kelly said LeDuff did not apologize for the way officers handled the investigation but told Lemoine he was sorry Lemoine didn’t feel the investigation was handled fairly.
Lemoine also said in the release that he spoke with Baton Rouge Union of Police president Cpl. Chris Stewart and claimed Stewart said he was embarrassed by the investigation and by Clark’s behavior.
Stewart said Monday he spoke with Lemoine but only said he was sorry Lemoine didn’t feel the investigation was handled fairly and that Lemoine could file a complaint.
Lemoine issued a retraction to his release Monday, saying: “Please retract the comment made in my press release stating comments made by the President of the Police Union. It should read, comments made by members of the police union.”
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