Former Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope is in jail again today.
Pope, 60, was arrested on Wednesday. He was booked on a probation and parole warrant and seven fugitive warrants.
Court records indicate that several warrants have been issued for him since 2023 when he failed to show up for hearings set after his probation officers asked that his probation be revoked.
The probation warrant in the court record indicates that he's accused of violating the conditions of his probation by "failing to obey the instructions of the court." The warrant also states that the court's last contact with Pope was at a revocation hearing in September 2024. At the bottom, under a "bond" section, "NO" is checked by the judge.
Pope is on probation for two separate cases: one in which he was convicted by a jury and another in which he entered guilty pleas to resolve multiple charges against him. The original case arose from a public records dispute with The Independent newspaper. At least one of those probation terms was extended, court records show.
Court records show the most recent hearing was set for Wednesday, but Pope didn't show up, and the judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
Past motions to revoke his probation in one of the cases indicated he hadn't provided any proof that he had done any of the 240 community service hours ordered, hadn't paid any of his fines and court costs, and had paid about only part of the $11,700 in restitution ordered.
Pope was convicted by a jury in October 2018 on three counts of malfeasance in office, arising from his actions in the public records dispute with The Independent newspaper. The jury also found him guilty of a count of perjury, but the judge in the case dismissed it.
In 2019 he was sentenced to three years in the parish jail for each of his three convictions, with all but one year suspended. He served 126 days of that sentence, and then was released on probation.
Pope was removed from the City Marshal position after the convictions by a jury. The criminal prosecution against him ended in June 2021 after he entered into a plea deal with Don Landry, who had recently taken office as Lafayette's new District Attorney.
Under the terms of that deal, Pope pleaded no contest to one count of malfeasance in office. In exchange, the remainder of the charges, 16 counts of malfeasance, were dropped. He was to serve three years of probation, repay $84,742.30 in fees he pocketed, which prosecutors alleged he shouldn't have taken. He also had to pay $435.00 in court costs, records show.
Almost two years later, when a revocation motion was filed in the case, he hadn't paid any of the fees or costs, the record shows.
The court record note he was not represented by counsel for the most recent hearings.
This is a developing story, and we'll update as we receive more information.
