A Louisiana mayor is under fire for starting an argument with a resident at a council meeting.
The video shows Elton Mayor Kesia Lemoine arguing with an unidentified woman, with whom she later argued in a meeting room.
The footage shows Lemoine leaving the room while shouting at the woman before being held back by other citizens.
The footage then shows the woman screaming at Lemoine and saying, “Get your f***ing hands off me.”
In the video, she can also be heard saying she wants to press charges against Lemoine while a group of people try to keep the couple apart.
Finally, a police officer escorts the woman out of town hall as she continues to scream at Lemoine.
Elton Mayor Kesia Lemoine is seen on video arguing with an unidentified woman after arguing with her in the meeting room
In the footage, the other woman can be seen screaming at Lemoine and saying, “Get your damn hands off me!”
Lemoine later allegedly snatched a cell phone from bystander Heidi Newell that was used to record the incident. According to the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lemoine was charged with assault.
Newell described the incident as “complete chaos.”
“I was filming, as we usually do based on situations, and she basically turned around, hit me in the chest and knocked the phone out of my hand,” Newell said.
Newell, a former city employee, said Lemoine unexpectedly fired her from her job but she continues to attend council meetings. She also said the mayor usually addresses questions or concerns with hostility.
“It’s time for someone to be in office now who will stand up for the city, be honest in every situation and not go behind people’s backs,” Newell said.
In the video, she can also be heard saying she wants to press charges against Lemoine while a group of people try to keep the couple apart
Finally, a police officer escorts the woman out of town hall as she continues to scream at Lemoine
Lemoine knocked the cell phone out of Heidi Newell’s hand while she was recording the video of the argument. According to the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, she was charged with assault
According to KPLC, the meeting began with the aim of discussing this month’s budget.
The atmosphere became tense as the meeting turned to the topic of grants.
During the discussion, Lemoine was asked whether Carl Capone, who was identified as a grant recipient, should be asked about available funding.
A woman, presumably the one seen arguing with Lemoine in the video, then asked if Capone had been fired from the scholarship job.
Mayor Lemoine was heard to respond: “We’re talking about the budget, you’re way off on something else.” We’re on budget. You are out of order. If you say otherwise, we’ll escort you out. “We’re talking about the budget.”
The council asked if anyone knew if Capone had been fired. Ultimately, Lemoine tells the room that Capone left the department because two people “lied” to him.
The mayor then asks the woman who inquired about Capone’s firing about her motives for attending the meeting.
Somehow, the council’s focus reportedly shifted to Lemoine’s salary, after which she alerted council members that they were “concerned” about how she was paid. After the arguments escalate, Lemoine can be heard saying, “Do you want to talk about transparency?” Let’s talk here first!’
The atmosphere became tense as the meeting turned to the topic of grants. Lemoine began discussing the two grants when a councilwoman asked if Carl Capone, who was identified as the grant author, should be asked about the available grants
Lemoine told News 10 afterward that the video did not show any of the people in the room threatening her and her family.
“Just recently we had a council meeting and they edited the clip and just showed my actions,” Lemoine said. “You didn’t show the beginning.”
She said she was acting out of maternal instinct and the need to protect her family.
“As a mother, I’m a protector and that really pushed me out of character,” Lemoine explained.
She also told the station that she wanted to acknowledge that she was not proud of what happened and that it should not have come to this.
“I apologize for my behavior because I am the mayor and they have different standards for me. “But I am also human and I have feelings,” Lemoine said.
The incident occurred as the mayor’s son, Marcus Lemoine Jr., was arrested for the June 2023 attack on a man, Roderick Williams, at a car wash in Elton.
But it appears that hostile behavior runs in the family as their son, Marcus Lemoine Jr., approached and attacked a man named Roderick Williams at an Elton car wash in June 2023
During the trial, he entered a “no contest” plea in a Jeff Davis Parish court a few weeks ago, marking a departure from the “not guilty” plea he made in September
Clerk of Court Jeff Davis’ office confirmed that Marcus was sentenced to six months of supervised probation and a $500 fine plus court costs
Lemoine Jr. was arrested by the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office after Williams filed a report.
During the trial, he entered a “no contest” plea in a Jeff Davis Parish court a few weeks ago, marking a departure from the “not guilty” plea he made in September.
Clerk of Court Jeff Davis’ office confirmed that Lemoine Jr. was sentenced to six months of supervised probation and a $500 fine plus court costs.
The mayor did not clarify whether Williams was the same man who threatened her during the council meeting.
A petition was launched earlier this year to strip the mayor of her title.
An investigation found that voters were claiming exemptions for homesteads in other communities. Some registered to vote on vacant lots, others used addresses of houses that didn’t exist to vote
Brandon Kelley, who ran against Lemoine in a mayoral runoff election last year, told the American Press that a group of residents is trying to remove her from office after cases of possible corruption came to light in the last mayoral election.
A KPLC-TV investigation found voters claimed exemptions for homesteads in other communities. Some had registered to vote on vacant lots, others used addresses of houses that did not exist to vote.
The investigation found nearly three dozen people with questionable voting credentials and named Roderick Williams as the first whistleblower in the case. The petition was later rejected.
Williams believes Lemoine Jr. attacked him because of his role in exposing corruption in the region and subsequently petitioning for his mother’s impeachment.
After the video of the mayor’s altercation with the unidentified woman went viral, a new petition was launched to have her resign from office.