Art LeBreton, who planned to run for Youngsville police chief, did not meet the one-year primary residency requirement to run for Youngsville police chief, according to a May 30 opinion from the state Attorney General's Department of Justice.
Interim Chief Cody Louviere has helmed the department since former chief Ricky Boudreaux resigned in August after a series of criminal and ethics investigations.
Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Perret said LeBreton came to him to ensure he was eligible for July qualifications in Youngsville's police chief special election.
Perret wrote that LeBreton moved to Youngsville in August 2023, making him one month shy of the one-year residency requirement.
"Art and I had coffee and there was some ambiguity in the law and we did decide to get an attorney general's opinion," Perret said.
Interim Chief Louviere declined to comment.
"A few wise men, with my best interest at heart, questioned my ability to qualify for the election. Even though I assured them that prior case law was in my favor, they suggested an Attorney General’s opinion regarding my ability to qualify as a candidate for Chief of Police. Though I had doubts because an AG opinion is not binding like a judgment from a court of law, I felt the need to honor their request," LeBreton wrote in a statement.
"Out of respect for the law and my supporters, I have decided to suspend my current campaign with an eye to the future. I will continue participating in and contributing to my community and will reevaluate my candidacy for the regular election in late 2026," he wrote.
The opinion read that LeBreton put his Duson home for sale in February 2023. On April 14, LeBreton purchased a parcel of land inside the city limits to build a home that would be completed in June 2024.
In August, LeBreton signed a lease agreement for an apartment inside city limits and changed his voter registration to his new address.
"...the potential candidate described in your opinion request, who did not reside in the municipality until August 2023, does not meet the qualifications to be a candidate in the election with qualifying dates set for July 17, 18, and 19, 2024," the opinion read.
In previous reporting, LeBreton said he initially planned to run for office during the 2026 election — where he would have met the required year of domicile.
Instead, LeBreton decided to run in the November special election after Boudreaux stepped down.
LeBreton, a Republican, spent his entire law enforcement career working for the Sheriff's Office until he retired in 2018, according to previous reporting.
LeBreton rose to patrol commander under former Sheriff Michael Neustrom, during which time he was responsible for the administration, supervision and leadership of more than 120 employees and the agency was recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. He also served as the enforcement commander over uniform patrol, criminal investigations, forensics, metro narcotics, community services and critical incident management.
LeBreton also worked as a patrol field supervisor, watch commander and detective at the Sheriff's Office.
He joined the Sheriff's Office reserve unit in 1983 and became a deputy in 1984. He was class president of the 35th Acadiana Law Enforcement Training Academy and achieved the highest scholastic average of the 55th session of the LSU Law Enforcement Institute.
Youngsville's chief of police seat was vacated by Ricky Boudreaux in August 2023. Boudreaux cited health concerns as his reason for stepping down. Prior to his resignation, Boudreaux was in the crosshairs of a criminal and ethics investigation, audits and a lawsuit.
An investigation into Boudreaux by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office found that, under Boudreaux, a woman to live inside the department, that Boudreaux used fuel he was not entitled to, that the department lacked internal controls to properly document and maintain evidence.
Primary elections are set for Nov. 5, 2024 for the police chief race with runoff's set for Dec. 7. Qualifying is July 17-19.