A Monday hearing in Opelousas Mayor Reggie Tatum’s criminal case has been continued until September.
Tatum’s attorney, Frank Olivier, has filed a motion to recuse the 27th Judicial District Attorney’s office from the case. He’s also filed a motion to quash the felony indictment against the mayor.
Olivier claims the mayor’s indictment was politically motivated. He alleges that a prosecutor on the case is publicly loyal to former mayor Donald Cravins but still participated in the grand-jury proceedings against Tatum.
Some of the information Olivier subpoenaed to help argue his case did not arrive until the morning of the hearing, so he asked for a continuance.
The motions will now be heard on Sept. 28. The continuance now delays Taum’s trial, which was also set for September.
Tatum is up for re-election this year and qualified for the seat last week.
He faces 15 felony counts that include charges of malfeasance, theft, forgery and injuring public records. The charges stem from a nearly $13,000 overtime payment he received after the August 2016 flood.
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