Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
LACOMBE, La. (WGNO) — Monday marked the first day in office for new St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape.
The day also marked Tape’s first public appearance in which he answered questions from the media before he was sworn in during a private ceremony.
In February, the St. Tammany Legislative Delegation urged him to resign once child sexual abuse allegations against him from more than 20 years ago surfaced.
Tape said Monday he won’t be resigning.
“I maintain my innocence,” Tape said. “That was 23 years ago these accusations were made. That’s all I need to say about it. If you don’t believe in innocence until proven guilty, you won’t qualify for a jury.”
The group of Northshore legislators says they’re now supporting a recall effort against the coroner. However, some community members aren’t on board.
“Are they salacious allegations? Yes. Would we like it if he didn’t have that? Yes, but in reality, he’s 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 him, I don’t know that we could. I certainly won’t be spending my Saturdays going out and doing that.”
Tape is also facing criticism for cutting the office’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program, which provides specialized health care to survivors of sexual assaults in four parishes.
“Livingston [Parish] can take it. Any of the hospitals can take it,” Tape said. “If it’s a moneymaker, take it. I’m a businessman. It’s not a moneymaker. Take it if you want it.”
Tape believes those who have been sexually assaulted should be examined at their local hospital.
Ginesse Barrett, who led the SANE Program, says hospitals are typically too busy to offer the appropriate amount of time that’s needed for these exams.
“To ask an ER doctor, you know, to run in in five minutes and get this this account of what happened to somebody, I mean, that’s just ridiculous,” Barrett said. “If he shut this down, I would fight him. I would bring a war, and he kicked the hornet’s nest.”
The Q&A seemingly took a turn when Tape alleged the office had been bugged by the former coroner, Dr. Charles Preston, and that a body bag had been left, which Tape took as a death threat directed towards him.
In response, Preston provided WGNO with the following statement:
“Allegations made today by Christopher Tape merit little in the way of a response. That the new coroner would spend his first 12 hours in office fomenting controversy speaks volumes about what the people of the parish can expect from his term in office. Nothing else need be said about these outlandish and childish allegations.”
Dr. Charles Preston
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