Elton mayor’s son accused of assaulting alleged voter fraud whistleblower
Elton, LA (KPLC) – The son of Elton’s embattled mayor is now being investigated for attacking the whistleblower who brought election discrepancies to light.
Roderick Williams first spoke out to 7News about his concerns about what he saw as voting irregularities in the race for Elton mayor.
We did our own investigation and found instances where voters who had a homestead exemption in another parish were still voting in Jeff Davis. We also found people registering to vote using empty lots or vacant homes as their addresses.
Since we started, nearly two dozen people had their voting registration challenged and 12 were removed from the voting rolls.
The secretary of state has since launched their own investigation and a recall petition has been started by the candidates who lost the race, telling us they just want a fair election to be held.
Elton Police Chief Bruce Lemelle confirms Roderick Williams reported he was assaulted by Marcus Lemoine, Jr., while he washed his vehicle at an Elton car wash Saturday.
“Because the mayor’s son is accused, there is a potential conflict of interest,” said Chief Lemelle. Wednesday, the chief confirmed he gave the case file to the Jeff Davis District Attorney’s Office.
We’ve reached out to Marcus Lemoine, Jr., but have not heard back. Mayor Kesia Lemoine was on scene Saturday for at least a portion of the incident, according to the chief. She has also not responded to our request for comment.
When asked about the alleged assault, Roderick Williams said he believes it was retaliation for him speaking out about potential voter fraud and his support of recalling Mayor Lemoine.
”Unfortunately, this is the reason the Elton residents were afraid to say something before,” said Williams in a statement. “It took seven people to approach one man, and for the mayor to be on scene of an assault and not report it says a lot about her character and leadership of the community.”
7News has also asked the District Attorney’s Office to clarify what will happen next with the investigation. We’ve not yet received a response.
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