John Rook, who was hired to investigate corruption, and Mark East, director of governmental buildings, both resigned June 9
Two more parish administrators are following in the footsteps of former finance director Lorrie Toups by resigning from their positions with St. Charles Parish.
John Rook, a former FBI agent who was hired to investigate cases of possible corruption within the parish’s administration, and Mark East, director of governmental buildings, resigned from their positions on June 9.
“I haven’t made any decision on either position,” Parish President V.J. St. Pierre said. “But I will consider looking in-house to replace both employees.”
The finance director’s position, which became vacant when Toups took a job with Jefferson Parish, should be filled by the end of July.
St. Pierre says Rook solved about five or six cases during his time in the parish administration and appropriate action was taken against the employees involved in those cases.
“We don’t want to name these individuals publicly,” he said. “We want to protect their families.”
Council Chairman Dennis Nuss had previously wanted to know what Rook had been working on because he said the council hadn’t received any type of report on what he was hired to do.
“The people have a right to know what they’re taxes are being used for,” he said. “This was a new position that wasn’t part of the previous administration and the public has a right to be kept informed.”
St. Pierre says that administrative affairs are handled in-house and don’t involve the legislative body, which is the parish council.
“I understand fully what Mr. St. Pierre is saying,” Nuss said. “I’m not in disagreement nor am I telling him how to run his administration.”
Nuss says when constituents in his district ask him what Rook was hired to do, he wants to be able to tell them.
“Even if someone in-house is hired to replace Mr. Rook, I still think the public has a right to know what the person is working on through some type of public reporting,” he said.
Rook plans to go back to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Greg Champagne says Rook was hired to be the head of the department’s training division.
“John Rook will be coming to work with my office within the next two weeks as captain of our training division,” Champagne said. “I have known him since I was an assistant district attorney in 1982 and he was a detective.”
Champagne says that prior to leaving the sheriff’s office, Rook was the chief of investigations.
“After a few years with the sheriff’s office, he left to join the FBI,” he said. “He was involved in training for several of his last years in the FBI as the state coordinator.”
Rook was then hired to work for the parish, but St. Pierre and Champagne both agree that his heart has always been in law enforcement.
“He wanted to get back into it,” Champagne said. “After some discussion, he agreed to accept a position as commander of our training division.”
Rook will replace Captain Jonathan Walsdorf. Champagne says he believes the relationships Rook has formed over the years both in the FBI and throughout the state will help the department improve the quality of their training division.
Walsdorf will continue commanding the records division, court security, information technology, purchasing, training, civil process and personnel.
Champagne says he has placed a high emphasis on training and education since becoming sheriff and Rook will be well-suited to take over the reigns.
“Under my administration, we were granted one of the very few training academy certificates in the state of Louisiana,” he said. “Our regional academy provides training to officers in our agency as well as several nearby agencies.”
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