Outrage as Louisiana child rape suspect is set to become town's police chief

Published: 17:03 EDT, 4 October 2026 | Updated: 17:14 EDT, 4 October 2026 A man who was arrested for two counts of child rape last month is primed to become the next police chief in a small Louisiana town.Elizabeth, a village in Allen Parish that is home to just over 400 people in the southern state, is electing their next police chief in November. The only candidate running is Christopher Paul, 48, who was arrested last month after the sheriff received a complaint that he allegedly raped two 13-year-old girls from 2005 to 2006, KPLC reported. An arrest warrant was issued after witnesses and victims were interviewed, according to the outlet. Paul turned himself in on September 8. He was booked on two counts of rape and was released on bond, which was set at $60,000, according to Louisiana First News. Outrage has sparked on social media in response to Paul being the only eligible candidate to take over the top cop position in the town. One user wrote on Facebook: 'Nobody in Elizabeth wants to become chief? Whoever runs against this guy would probably win. How hard would it be a chief with a few hundred people to the town?' Another said: 'You can not tell me that there is absolutely no one else to take this job! These people don't make any sense. Why put this individual in that position and when he goes to prison for RAPE they will have to fill the position with someone else. Why not eliminate all that unnecessary stuff to start with. Think about that!' Many believed the allegations are reason enough to eliminate Paul as a candidate. Christopher Paul was arrested last month after a complaint alleging he raped two 13-year-old girls 20 years ago was received by the sheriff 'Charges are allegations, not a conviction,' Elizabeth Mayor Mandy Green (pictured) wrote in a Facebook post about Paul's arrest and candidacy One user wrote: 'He should withdraw from the race. He knows he's not wanted in Elizabeth.' Another said: 'Idiot should drop out.'Mayor Mandy Green wrote in a Facebook post: 'Charges are allegations, not a conviction.''The candidate in question has been arrested and charged, but has not been convicted of any crime. Under the law, anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is an important part of our justice system.'Green wrote that neither she nor the Board of Alderman hold the power to overrule the ballot - 'the role answers directly to the voters,' she wrote. Paul's only opponent, Zachary Lacaze, had to drop out of the race for police chief after someone reported him as having violated the Hatch Act Christopher Paul, the only remaining candidate running for Police Chief in Elizabeth, a small village in Allen Parish, Louisiana, was arrested for two counts of child rape'The candidate in question has been arrested and charged, but has not been convicted of any crime. Under the law, anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is an important part of our justice system.'Paul's only other opponent, Zachary Lacaze, dropped out of the race in late September. Lacaze holds a federal position as civilian security at Fort Polk, a US Army base in Vernon Parish, Louisiana. He ran non-partisan to stay in compliance with the Hatch Act, a law which limits certain political activities of federal workers, he shared in a Facebook post. Someone reported him as having violated the Hatch Act, and after a JAG investigation Lacaze was told he can no longer run for Police Chief, he wrote. 'As much as I love being a police officer and as much as I wanted to be your Chief of Police, I have a responsibility to my family. My full-time job is what provides for my wife and son, and I cannot take that away from them.' With Lacaze out of the race, Paul is the only remaining candidate on the ballot. He is running as a Republican. A Town Hall meeting will be held on Monday, October 12 at 6:30pm to give residents a chance to provide their input on the matter.