ICYMI: St. Martinville Police Chief provides evidence his GED is real
ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (KLFY)- The St. Martinville Police Department is asking State Police to investigate who leaked confidential information from the police chief’s personnel file.
The request comes after an anonymous source delivered copies of Police Chief Ricky Martin’s high school equivalency diploma, or GED, to city officials and claimed the GED was falsified.
The author of this anonymous letter said that Chief Martin’s GED had to have been forged because principals do not sign GED’s.
News 10 spoke with the St. Martin Parish School System Superintendent Allen Blanchard Jr., who said it was possible for a principle to have signed a GED in 1995 when the chief graduated.
“It would not have been impossible. I’m not certain whether they did or not. I’d have to do more investigating,” Blanchard said. “It’s a possibility that they could have signed them.”
Blanchard explained that in 1995, several high schools in St. Martin Parish did host GED programs, and it would have been likely that the GED would have been signed by the high school principal.
Blanchard added that now, however, no St. Martin Parish high schools host GED programs, so students receiving a GED now would not have their diploma signed by a principal.
News 10 also spoke with the St. Martin Parish School Board superintendent in 1995, Roland Chevalier, who said he did not remember the principal or the State Board of Secondary Education signing GEDs.
A St. Martinville police spokesperson said Chief Martin was able to provide evidence, however, that his GED was not falsified at a special city council meeting Tuesday.
“He has verification from the state agency that issues GEDs basically saying that he does have the transcript hours and his GED is real,” Adam Touchet with the St. Martinville Police Department said.
Touchet said Chief Martin’s official transcript is being mailed from Baton Rouge to the St. Martinville City Council right now.