Former Lafayette city marshal reports to jail, moved to LaSalle for his 'safety'

LAFAYETTE, La. (Daily Advertiser) -- Former Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope, who was convicted of malfeasance in office charges, was moved to the LaSalle Detention Center to serve his time there "for his own safety."

Pope was found guilty in October 2018 by a Lafayette Parish jury for using city marshal money to hire attorneys for personal use. After exhausting his appeal options, his sentence, which includes spending one year in the parish jail, began this week.

Pope turned himself in at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on Wednesday but was transferred to LaSalle Detention Center after being processed. LaSalle is in Jena, Louisiana, northeast of Alexandria and about two hours from Lafayette. 

"Pope was transferred to the LaSalle Detention Center for his own safety and well-being," Lafayette Parish Sheriff's spokesperson Valerie Ponseti said in a release. "This is in large part due to his previous service with the Lafayette City Marshal’s Office, a law enforcement agency responsible for making arrests in this jurisdiction."

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