Will Bossier City Council Members Face Charges? DA Investigates

SHREVEPORT, LA - The District Attorney in Bossier Parish says he is investigating members of the Bossier City Council after a lengthy battle over term limits.

5 Council members: David Montgomery, Jeff Free, Don Williams, Jeff Darby and Vince Maggio repeatedly refused to put term limits on the ballot in Bossier after being presented with a petition from the voters. The battle made it's way through the court process and a panel of judges on the 2nd Circuit ruled in favor of the residents.

That ruling also included this verbiage about the Councilmembers actions:

"Defendants refusal to call an election may be construed as malfeasance in office."

It goes on to say:

"Malfeasance in office is committed when any public officer or public employee shall:

1) Intentionally refuse or fail to perform any duty lawfully required of him.

OR

2) Knowingly permit any other public officer or public employee, under his authority, to to intentionally refuse or fail to perform any duty lawfully required of him, or to perform any such duty in an unlawful manner.

The big question now is whether or not District Attorney Schuyler Marvin will prosecute any of the Councilmembers on malfeasance charges. Reports have surfaced in Bossier from a representative of the D.A.'s office indicating Marvin "did not have an appetite for going after public officials.

So KEEL News went directly to Marvin. He was speaking about the Family Justice Center at the North Shreveport Business Association on Tuesday and said he was happy to answer questions about anything. So I had to ask. You can see what happens next.

After the meeting broke up, I walked up to Marvin and asked him about claims that he did not want to "go after" public officials and he rattled off several public officials he has prosecuted. He did not give me a timetable for when his investigation might be complete.

Some have called for the State Attorney General to step in if Marvin refuses to act.