Judge asked to recuse herself amid alleged affair

ASSUMPTION PARISH, La. (WAFB) - In a rare move, a district attorney and public defender have filed a joint motion asking that a state district judge voluntarily remove herself from criminal matters in Assumption Parish or be forced to do so.

The joint motion, filed Tuesday, Jan. 28, targets Judge Jessie LeBlanc, who’s accused of having an inappropriate personal relationship with a chief deputy in the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office. The motion was filed Wednesday, Jan. 29 by District Attorney Ricky Babin and Public Defender Alan Robert, both of whom handle cases in that parish.

The motion claims Assumption Parish Chief Deputy Bruce Prejean confessed to having been in a “long-term intimate, personal affair with Judge LeBlanc.” Both Prejean and LeBlanc are married to other individuals. The motion claims LeBlanc’s alleged actions are inconsistent with an “independent and honorable” judiciary and that the judge falls “woefully short” of maintaining the high standards of conduct expected of a judge.

As a result of the alleged affair, prosecutors are looking at whether any criminal cases from the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office were compromised when the matters went before Judge LeBlanc.

Shortly after allegations of the affair surfaced, LeBlanc’s family members asked police to help them search for her after she disappeared. She was later found in Florida.

Copyright 2020 WAFB. All rights reserved.