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DeSoto Parish clerk of court arrested for nursing home electioneering: report

By: Louisiana Illuminator - October 10, 2023 11:16 am

People enter a voting precinct to vote in the Michigan primary election at Trombly School Aug. 7, 2018 in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Just four days ahead of Louisiana’s statewide primary election, the lead election official for DeSoto Parish has been arrested, our news partners at KSLA-TV report.

Clerk of Court Jeremy Evans was booked into the parish jail Tuesday morning for allegedly campaigning at a nursing home. According to KSLA, the clerk’s father, former DeSoto District Attorney Gary Evans, was among the people outside the jail awaiting his release.

State law forbids candidates from handing out, placing or displaying campaign cards, pictures or other campaign literature of any kind or description in a nursing home. Political signs, pictures and other forms of political advertising are not allowed on nursing home property.

Penalties for electioneering include a fine not exceeding $500, no more than six months of jail time or both. Repeat offenses could come with a $1,000 fine and one-year sentence.

Louisiana State Police are investigating the matter. Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s office issued a statement that directed all questions to law enforcement. The agency has offered assistance to DeSoto officials for Saturday’s election.

Gary Evans has yet to comment on the allegations.

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Louisiana Illuminator

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.