St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre served as one of the community leaders.

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St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre issued a stern rebuke to parish officials that he may withdraw his office’s security detail from future council meetings after a tense meeting led to illegal requests for his deputies to remove a seated council member.

In a letter on Friday, seen by The L’Observateur, Sheriff Tregre informed Parish President Jaclyn Hotard and Council Chairperson Tammy Houston that his deputies were put in “difficult positions” during recent council meetings, including Monday’s debate on a library construction contract. 

“During heated exchanges in these meetings, my deputies have received inappropriate requests to detain and/or remove private citizens, and even other council members, from the council chambers,” Tregre wrote. “Without a legal basis for detention or removal, these requests jeopardize the integrity of the Sheriff’s Office.”

During Monday’s meeting, council members voted to authorize a contract with LeMoyne Construction as the construction manager for two parish library branches in Edgard and LaPlace. 

Although Edgard’s funding is secured, the LaPlace project still lacks complete financing, raising concerns about borrowing related to expiring tax millages.

While Councilwoman Virgie Johnson pressed Library Director Andrea Tullis for specifics on the funding mechanism, Councilwoman Tammy Houston sought to remove Councilwoman Tyre Griffin from the council chambers due to the disruption of the meeting. 

The council voted to approve the resolution after the tension was resolved.

“My duty is to ensure that my office and my deputies operate within the bounds of the law and to hold others accountable for doing the same,” Tregre emphasized. “I will not allow my deputies to be used to silence political dissent or to serve political agendas under the guise of maintaining order in a public meeting.”

“Our presence in these public meetings is to maintain order and decorum while respecting the exercise of free speech. If any person in attendance disrupts the delicate balance between the exercise of free speech and order and decorum, my deputies are trained to act,”. 

This incident follows a previous free speech controversy that occurred in November 2023, when Joy Banner, co-founder of the Descendants Project, attempted to make a public comment at a council meeting regarding the hiring of an attorney for Parish President Hotard in connection with an ethics investigation related to the canceled Greenfield grain terminal project. 

Hotard interrupted Banner at that meeting and told the then Parish Council President, Michael Wright, to stop Banner’s comment. He read off a statute that implied that Banner could be fined or imprisoned for continuing to speak. After trying to speak several times, Banner eventually walked away from the podium.

A jury determined that Wright, Hotard, and the parish did not limit Banner’s speech, that the three defendants did not commit First Amendment retaliation, and that they did not breach Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law. Consequently, Banner will not receive compensatory or punitive damages.

Sheriff Tregre warned that if deputies continue to face such requests, he may withdraw his office’s security detail from future council meetings to preserve the department’s independence.

“If my deputies continue to be subjected to requests to misuse their authority, I will have to reconsider providing security details for future council meetings. The integrity of my office is too important, and I will not allow that integrity to be compromised just for the convenience of others”, Tregre said. 

He demanded that parish officials conduct future meetings lawfully and peacefully, reaffirming his commitment to maintaining order while respecting citizens’ rights to free speech.