YOUNGSVILLE, La. (KLFY) The Youngsville City Council will hold a special session Thursday to discuss beginning an investigation into the police chief.
This comes after newly released police bodycam video sparked speculation that Youngsville City Councilwoman Kayla Reaux received special treatment from the police chief after she hit a parked car in Sugar Mill Pond last November.
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Residents we spoke to say their behavior towards the officer is not only offensive and rude, but they also question whether the police chief has ordered his officers to give the councilwoman special treatment.
“You been drinking?” an officer asked Reaux after the crash.
“NO. Yes. Possibly,” she replied.
“It’s a yes or no question,” the official said.
“No,” the councilwoman replied.
A few minutes after the officer asked Councilwoman Reaux that question, Police Chief Rickey Boudreaux showed up at the scene.
“Do you know our Councilor Kayla Reaux?” Chief Boudreaux asked the responding officers.
The officer then asks Reaux for her phone number, to which she replies “867-5309,” quoting a well-known song. Chief Boudreaux and Councilwoman Reaux then begin to sing together.
After the councilwoman and the police chief joked, Reaux made several comments to the officer.
“How do you write your last name?” asked the officer. Chief Boudreaux then spells her last name.
“If you live in Louisiana and you don’t know how to spell that, it’s embarrassing. Reaux, it’s like Geaux,” Reaux replied.
A few minutes later, Reaux made another remark to the officer.
“I do not like you. I don’t like you at all,’ the councilwoman said to him.
“That’s fine,” the officer replied.
“I do not like him. I think he’s cocky. He needs to calm down. Be relatable,” says Reaux. The officer replies, “I am.”
Reaux then says, “Save life, boy.”
Afterwards, the officer talks to another officer, noticeably upset by Reaux’s comments, and tells him that the police chief had to step between them.
“So Rickey had to come between us,” he told the other officer.
Police did not perform a sobriety test on Reaux, and no subpoena was issued.
Councilwoman Reaux released a statement this week apologizing for her behavior, saying: “As an elected official, I would never ask for special treatment because I am not above the law.”
However, some Lafayette Parish residents say they are concerned about her behavior and say they find it strange how the accident was handled by police.
“I don’t think that’s right. Nobody has the right not to follow the rules like everyone else and it sounds like she did something wrong. They probably should have gone through the normal process of pulling them out. I don’t know if they had to arrest her or not. Who knows what went on there, but I mean nobody knows,” said David Niland.
“I think all people should be equal no matter what status you have in any situation. I really just think everyone should be treated equally,” added Luke Robertson.
Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter released a statement Wednesday saying he condemned the councilwoman’s behavior.
He added, “Youngsville Police Department officers are career officers with job security who should be able to conduct themselves without fear of political pressure or retaliation.”
Mayor Ritter says a special council meeting will be held Thursday to restore confidence in the integrity of the Youngsville Police Department.
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