A Grand Coteau police officer in the spotlight has officially been fired. The city council unanimously voted to terminate him from the department Tuesday night.
GRAND COTEAU, La. (KLFY) -- A Grand Coteau police officer in the spotlight has officially been fired. The city council unanimously voted to terminate him from the department Tuesday night.
This marks the fourth time he has been fired from a police agency in Acadiana. His firing also comes nearly two weeks after the officer threatened to file a lawsuit against the city.
Officer Sam Tezeno was initially fired in late November. After he threatened to sue the town, the city council instead placed him on administrative leave until they could dicuss it in a council meeting. On Tuesday, the council made his termination official.
"The town council of Grand Coteau voted to fire him, so he's no longer employed at the Grand Coteau Police Department," Grand Coteau Assistant Police Chief Michael Buck told News 10.
Buck is currently leading the department, as Police Chief Jeffrey Carl Guilbeau is on administrative leave after being arrested for malfeasance in office and obstruction of justice in July. It was Assistant Chief Buck who initially fired officer Sam Tezeno.
"Mr. Tezeno had become what's called timed-out in police work. He had not obtained a POST-certification and could no longer work and be insured by the town's insurance," Buck added.
In a News 10 investigation, we learned Tezeno had also been fired from Opelousas police and St. Martinville police.
Despite this, Tezeno's attorney claimed town officials mistreated Tezeno and Assistant Chief Buck fired him for being a whistleblower for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office. These are allegations Buck says have no truth.
"At that partticular time that this incident went on, I was not employed with the Grand Coteau Police Department anymore. I had left in January and returned after this incident. So it had nothing to do with me," Buck said.
While Tezeno's attorney threatened a federal lawsuit after he was fired, the Grand Coteau City Council instead placed Tezeno on administrative leave until they could hold a meeting. On Tuesday, the city council upheld Buck's decision and fired Tezeno.
"I recommended that Mr. Tezeno, a dispatch at our department, be dismissed from the police department because of his actions that were not condusive to good police work," Buck said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Tezeno's attorney has yet to file that federal lawsuit. He claimed it would be filed in the Lafayette Federal Court last week. News 10 reached out to the attorney multiple times, but we have received no response.
