Port Barre Police Officer Darwin Fontenot was arrested on Friday and charged with malfeasance and third-degree rape in connection to a March 10 incident along US Route 90.
“The public holds law enforcement to a high standard, and so do I," Port Barre Police Department Chief Deon Boudreax said in a statement released Saturday night and obtained by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. "Whether the sexual interaction was consensual or not doesn’t justify it. I will not tolerate such unprofessional behavior from our police officers."
An April 27 complaint filed at the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office by the alleged survivor of the sexual abuse detailed that Fontenot, 21, initially pulled her over for speeding but soon found out that there were additional violations tied to her name after running her ID through the police system.
The woman claimed Fontenot offered leniency on her violations in exchange for sex.
The 21-year-old admitted to having intercourse with the woman amid an investigative interview, but he insisted the two of them met up while he was off duty.
"When I spoke to Fontenot this morning, he admitted he did engage in sexual activity with the complainant but stated the two met up after he was off duty," Boudreaux said in an email Saturday. "Even if he was off duty, it doesn't make it right. [Neither] an officer, nor any public servant, should engage in that type of activity of exchanging sexual favors for leniency."
Fontenot was released from jail Saturday on bond. Boudreax noted the officer has been placed on “administrative leave until termination.”
In the state of Louisiana, rape in the third degree carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, and one can receive up to a five-year sentence, a maximum fine of $5,000 or both for malfeasance.
