Ville Platte police chief’s eligibility challenged

Another election in Evangeline Parish is facing a challenge; this time it’s the office of Ville Platte Chief of Police.
Linton Fontenot and Glenn Leleux, who both ran for the position against incumbent Neal Lartigue, have filed a petition in the 13th Judicial District Court in Evangeline Parish claiming that Lartigue did not meet the requirements to qualify for the position as he was not “domiciled for at least the immediate preceding year in the municipality.”
Fontenot and Leleux claim in their petition that the address provided by Lartigue during qualifications on August 20, through August 22, on North Chataignier Street was not Lartigue’s place of residence and it had not been his place of residence for some time. The petition further states that Lartigue is actually residing at a home on L’Anse De Cavalier that is outside the city limits of Ville Platte, and that the address he listed on North Chataignier is owned by someone else.
The petition asks the court to find that Lartigue failed in qualifying for the office of chief of police and that he be removed from office.
The court has ruled that Lartigue will be cited to appear. A hearing will be held Thursday, December 18, at 3 p.m., where Lartigue will be given the opportunity to prove his qualification for the office of chief of police.
When contacted about the petition, Lartigue did not comment.