NBC 10 Ordered To Stay Out of Ron Schleuter’s Party

Top city officials and law officers came to the West Monroe Civitan Club to celebrate Ron Schleuter’s retirement. But who was not on the guest list? NBC 10 News!

City dignitaries and leaders arrived for a warm reception, wishing a happy retirement to the ex-chief of police. But who got the cold shoulder at the retirement bash? NBC 10—our news crew was ordered to stay off the property by deputies, despite the fact that cameras were on public property.

Why would NBC 10 get kicked out of covering the retirement of Monroe Police Chief Ron Schleuter?

That’s the same man who was under investigation for nearly seven months, for secretly recording conversations with Jamie Mayo, costing the city over $60,000 to investigate by hiring outside help. He retired from the position in August.

Here’s a short timeline of how the investigation played out:

-On Friday, July 30, Schleuter met with Mayor Jamie Mayo at a second pre-determination hearing at 9 a.m. at city hall. The meeting lasted only about 30 minutes, and was cut short after Schleuter tried to subpoena Mayo and two other investigators in the case. The attorney representing the city, Steve Oxenhandler, said the request failed because Schleuter did not have the authority to compel someone to testify.

-In mid-June, Schleuter met with Mayo during the first pre-determination hearing at city hall. Oxenhandler brought hundreds of pages of documents and evidence to the hearing. Schleuter’s attorneys requested more time to review the evidence, and Oxenhandler organized another hearing seven weeks later.

-In May, Schleuter qualifies for his full pension. Schleuter earns over $102,000 as police chief of Monroe, and will collect that amount of money yearly regardless of the results of the investigation.

-In April, the city hires Steve Oxenhandler out of Alexandria to lead the investigation. At first, the mayor assigned city employees to probe Schleuter, but his attorneys filed an injunction to prevent city workers from getting involved in his case.

-February 16, Schleuter is placed on administrative leave. That same month, the police union gave the chief a vote of “no confidence.”