LACOMBE, La. (WGNO) — Monday was the primary day in office of the brand new St. Parish coroner. Tammany, Dr. Christopher Tape.
That day also marked Tape’s first public appearance, during which he answered questions from the media before taking the oath of office in a personal ceremony.
In February, the Legislative Delegation of St. Tammany urged him to resign after allegations of kid sexual abuse against him dating back greater than 20 years were revealed.
Tape said Monday he would not resign.
“I maintain my innocence,” Tape said. “It was 23 years ago that these accusations were made. That’s all I even have to say on this subject. If you do not consider in innocent until proven guilty, you’ll not be eligible for jury duty.
A gaggle of Northshore lawmakers say they at the moment are supporting an effort to place the coroner out of labor. However, some community members are not on board.
“Are these salacious allegations? Yes. Would we like it if he didn’t have it? Yes, but he’s actually done a good job since then,” said Terry King, a member of Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany. “And until there’s a reason to get rid of it, I don’t know if we could. I’m certainly not going to spend my Saturdays going out and doing this.”
Tape also faced criticism for discontinuing the office’s Sexual Assault Nurse Specialist Program (SANE), which provides specialized health care to sexual assault survivors in 4 parishes.
“Livingston [Parish] I can take it. Any hospital can take it,” Tape said. “If it is a money-making machine, take it. I’m a businessman. This is not a money making machine. Take it in the event you want it.
Tape believes that individuals who have been victims of sexual violence must be examined at a neighborhood hospital.
Ginesse Barrett, who led the SANE program, says hospitals are typically too busy to permit enough time for these tests.
“You know, asking an ER doctor to come in five minutes and give him an account of what happened to someone is just ridiculous,” Barrett said. “If he had shut it down, I’d have fought him. I’d start a war and he would kick the hornet’s nest.
The Q&A apparently took a turn when Tape alleged that former coroner Dr. Charles Preston had bugged the office and that a body bag had been left behind, which Tape perceived as a death threat directed at him.
In response, Preston provided WGNO with the next statement:
“The allegations made today by Christopher Tape deserve no response. The fact that the new coroner will spend his first 12 hours in office courting controversy says a lot about what parish residents can expect from his tenure. Nothing more needs to be said about these bizarre and childish allegations.”
Doctor Charles Preston
