Ville Platte City Marshals have arrested a Ville Platte Police Officer.
Officer Lumus Lastrapes was booked Monday night on a warrant accusing him of malfeasance in office. Marshals tell us he was arrested without incident, booked into a secure area of the jail, and released a short time later after posting bond.
We've reached out the Ville Platte Police and we'll update this story as soon as we hear from them.
Lastrapes is accused of releasing suspects who were arrested during an investigation into a shooting that happened near Ville Platte High School during Friday's homecoming game.
Ville Platte Chief Deputy Marshal Nik Cormier tells us that several marshals and the police department were working security that night and they got a call that there were shots fired near the school.
When marshals arrived on scene they encountered a man who had a gun in his waistband. Because of the proximity to the school, this was a violation of state law.
The man was arrested and transported to the jail on a charge of possession of a firearm in a gun-free zone. A warrant was obtained, and a marshal got a judge to sign it and then took it to the jail.
When he arrived at the jail he found that the suspect had been released, allegedly on orders from Lastrapes, who told the jailer that he had spoken to the marshals, he was in charge of the investigation, and the man was to be released. Another suspect arrested in the incident also had been released, also on the orders of Lastrapes, Cormier said.
A warrant was obtained for Lastrapes' arrest, and it was signed by a judge and executed last night. Lastrapes was arrested without incident, booked into a secure section of the parish jail and released a short time later, after posting bond.
