"867-5309" Youngsville councilwoman gives famous phone number to police after striking parked car prompting laughter, sing-along from police chief
YOUNGSVILLE, La. (KLFY) The Youngsville City Council will hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss beginning an investigation into the chief of police.
This comes after newly released police body camera video sparked speculation that Youngsville Councilwoman Kayla Reaux received special treatment from the police chief after she hit a parked car in Sugar Mill Pond last November.
Residents we spoke with say that not only is her behavior towards the officer offensive and rude, but they are also questioning if the police chief ordered his officers to give the councilwoman special treatment.
"You been drinking?" an officer asked Reaux after the crash.
"No. Yes. Possibly," she answered.
"It's a yes or no question," the officer said.
"No," the councilwoman responded.
A few minutes after the officer asked Councilwoman Reaux this question, Police Chief Rickey Boudreaux showed up at the scene.
"Do y'all know our councilmember, Kayla Reaux?" Chief Boudreaux asked the responding officers.
The officer then asks Reaux for her phone number, to which she replies, "867-5309," quoting a popular song. Chief Boudreaux and Councilwoman Reaux then begin singing together.
After the councilwoman and police chief made jokes, Reaux made several comments to the officer.
"How do you spell your last name?" the officer asked. Chief Boudreaux then spells her last name.
"If you live in Louisiana and you don't know how to spell that, that's embarrassing. Reaux, it's like geaux," Reaux responded.
Several minutes later, Reaux made another comment directed at the officer.
"I don't like you. I don't like you at all," the councilwoman told him.
"That's okay," the officer answered.
"I don't like him. I think he's cocky. He needs to calm down. Be relatable," Reaux says. The officer responds, "I am."
Reaux then says, "Get life, kid."
After this, the officer speaks with another officer, noticeably upset by Reaux's comments and tells him the police chief had to step in between them.
"So Rickey had to step in between us," he told the other officer.
Police did not administer a sobriety test to Reaux, and no citation was issued.
Councilwoman Reaux released a statement this week, apologizing for her conduct and saying, "As an elected official, I would never ask for special treatment because I am not above the law."
Some residents of Lafayette Parish, however, say they're concerned by her behavior and say they find it odd how the crash was handled by police.
"I don't think that's right. Nobody has the right to not follow the rules like everybody else, and it sounds like she was doing something wrong. They probably should have gone through the normal process of pulling her out. I don't know if they needed to arrest her or not. Who knows what was going on there, but I mean, nobody knows," David Niland said.
"I think all people should be equal, no matter what your status is in any situation. I really just think that everyone should be treated the same," Luke Robertson added.
Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter released a statement Wednesday, saying he condemned the behavior by the councilwoman.
He added, "Youngsville Police Department officers are career civil servants with job security that should be able to conduct themselves without fear of political pressure or retaliation."
Mayor Ritter says a special council meeting will take place Thursday to restore confidence in the integrity of the Youngsville Police Department.