Full investigation needed into St. Rose Fire Station

To The Editor
To The Citizens of St. Charles Parish; To District Attorney Harry Morel;
To Sheriff Greg Champagne;
To U.S. Attorney Jim Letten; and,
To FBI Special Agent Daniel H. Evans
The current controversy surrounding Councilman & Fire Chief Larry Cochran and the St. Rose Volunteer Fire Department needs to be resolved in a fair, open, transparent, and unbiased manner. I sincerely hope that after such review, Mr. Cochran and the members of the fire department will emerge vindicated of any wrongdoing.

During the last election which brought an all-new Council and Parish President into office, the message of the voters was loud and clear: The people wanted a change. The people wanted no more of the politics of the past. The people wanted good government. The people of St. Charles Parish deserve nothing less.

I know of no investigation into this situation. It seems that many people in the courthouse would like this to just blow over. I am here to tell the good people of St. Charles Parish, that we will not stand for this to just blow over. The people want this investigated and so do I. Let justice be done.

Subsequently, in the interest of fairness for all concerned, I respectfully ask District Attorney Harry Morel and Sheriff Champagne to conduct a full, thorough, and transparent investigation into the controversies surrounding Councilman & Fire Chief Larry Cochran and the St. Rose Volunteer Fire Department. In the alternative, I respectfully ask that the District Attorney recuse himself in this matter, and refer it to the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana. I call upon U.S. Attorney Letten and FBI Special Agent Daniel H. Evans to oversee this process to ensure that nothing less than absolute fairness for all concerned prevails.

I want the people of St. Charles Parish to know that you have been heard, loud and clear. You want a fair investigation. I am sure that you will agree that all involved deserve nothing less. The people want to know that this will be an investigation that we can ail trust, not something that is called an investigation that is nothing more than a political backroom deal.

I cannot do this alone. I ask all members of the St. Charles Parish Council to join with this effort, and demand this investigation. I am introducing a resolution for consideration at the April 7 meeting of the St. Charles Parish Council, which will ask that the District Attorney conduct this investigation, or in the alternative, recuse himself. I ask that the Council give unanimous approval to this resolution.

I also ask the citizens of St. Charles Parish to act as well, by calling your council members, calling the Parish President, calling the Sheriff, calling the U.S. Attorney, and calling the District Attorney, demanding that you will accept nothing less than a fair investigation of this matter.

Thank you for your support in these trying times. I hope that by the grace of Almighty God, truth and justice will prevail.

Sincerely,
 
Carolyn K. Schexnaydre 
Councilmember At-Large, Division A