YOUNGSVILLE, La — Youngsville Police Sgt. Brian Baumgardner resigned Monday from the city’s Civil Service Board ahead of a hearing concerning the firing of Sgt. Justin Ortis.
In his resignation letter to board members, Baumgardner cited retaliation as the reason he resigned.
Here is the full text of his letter:
“Good Afternoon,
I want to say how happy and proud I am to have served for three consecutive terms on the Youngsville Civil Service Board as the Youngsville Police Department Representative. We the board have brought the standards of our board to the next level of professionalism, and I am honored to be part of that.
With that said and the up coming high profile case, and the probability of retaliatory action against me based off my vote, please accept this as my immediate resignation from the Youngsville Civil Service Board.
I appreciate each of your time in this matter.
Respectfully,
Sergeant Brian Baumgardner”
Sgt. Justin Otis was fired last month after video surfaced concerning the handling of a November wreck that involved a member of the Youngsville City Council.
Kayla Menard Reaux did not cooperate with the responding officers including Ortis during a crash investigation, she called the chief who arrived on the scene and left with Reaux in his vehicle without receiving a citation or a sobriety test.
Chief Rickey Boudreaux fired Ortis for allegedly violating departmental policies related to records, cell phone usage, internal investigations, and insubordination. Ortis has since appealed his termination which was approved by the civil service board.
A Date for the hearing of the appeal has not been set.
