Former VP officer pleads guilty to abuse of power and intimidation by officer

A former officer with the Ville Platte Police Department was in court Friday in front of the Honorable Chuck R. West for a change of plea.
Larry Fontenot was present in court and was represented by Jacob Fusilier. Kelly Tate, on behalf of the State, amended the Bill of Information from Malfeasance in Office, Extortion, and Video Voyeurism to Abuse of Power and Intimidation by an Officer (two counts).
Fontenot’s charges stemmed from an August 2015 incident where he intimidated women during a traffic stop forcing them to expose their breasts.
Fontenot entered pleas of guilty to the amended charges. He was sentenced to serve five years at hard labor with the Department of Corrections suspended and placed on five years active supervised probation on the charge of Abuse of Power.
He was also sentenced to serve six months in the parish jail suspended and was placed on six months active supervised probation on the charges of Intimidation by an Officer to run concurrent with each other and concurrent with the charge of Abuse of Power.
Judge West imposed a fine of $1000.00, $127.50 court cost, $350.00 to the Indigent Defendant Board, $250.00 District Attorney cost of prosecution, $100.00 warrant fee, $50.00 victim’s fund, and restitution to be determined. The judge as special conditions of probation ordered the defendant not to work or apply for any law enforcement position and to attend anger management or abusive behavior counseling.