YOUNGSVILLE, La. (KLFY) — A Youngsville city councilwoman crashed into a parked vehicle in November, and left the scene without being cited or subject to a sobriety test after the chief of police responded personally, according to a report in The Acadiana Advocate.
Youngsville Councilmember Kayla Menard Reaux crashed into a parked SUV belonging to Sherri Guidry on Nov. 12. Guidry then called 911. Youngsville officers arrived quickly to the scene of the crash, according to the report, and Guidry told an officer that the woman in the vehicle refused to get out or speak with her. The woman also did not cooperate with officers.
Moments later, Youngsville Police Chief Rickey Boudreaux arrived at the scene. He introduced the driver to his officers as Youngsville Councilmember Kayla Menard Reaux.
No sobriety test was administered to the councilwoman. No citation was issued.
The speed limit is 15 miles per hour on Palfrey Parkway in the Youngsville development where the crash happened, the Advocate reported, but the impact of the crash left both vehicles undrivable. Guidry says her 2016 GMC Yukon Denali is still being repaired after it suffered $25,000 worth of damage.
Reaux said her cell phone was ringing as she drove about 25 mph down Palfrey Parkway on the night of Nov. 12. She looked down for a moment to search for her phone when she crashed into the parked vehicle, the councilwoman said.
Reaux, the daughter of longtime Youngsville Police Chief Earl Menard, said she called the current police chief after the crash because she had just left his house. It isn’t clear why Reaux was at Boudreaux’s house or how long she was there. Boudreaux said she did not drink or use drugs at his home.
In the minutes after the crash, the councilwoman responded to officers with jokes, expletives and contradictory answers, according to bodycam footage obtained by The Advocate.
“You been drinking?” the first responding officer asked Reaux
“No. Yes. Possibly,” she responded.
“It’s a yes or no question,” the officer said.
“No,” Reaux answered.
Boudreaux said Reaux was not given special treatment because of her elected position or relation to the former police chief.
Still, Reaux was uncooperative until the police chief arrived and, even then, she would only cooperate with him, according to body camera footage. She declined to speak with Guidry or provide serious answers to the questions asked by officers.
When an officer asked for her phone number to give to the towing company, Reaux answered “Eight-six-seven-five-three-oh-nine.”
The police chief then sang the number back, and Reaux joined in — the two singing to the tune of Tommy Tutone’s catchy hit “867-5309/Jenny.”
The officer didn’t question the councilwoman’s response and told the towing company her phone number was 337-867-5309.
Later, after searching for her car insurance card for nearly 30 minutes, an officer asked if the vehicle was insured.
“I mean, like, I have a f—— Lexus. Do I have insurance?” she said with a laugh. “Are you f—— kidding me? Yes, I have insurance.”
When Reaux finally found the information, she said “Here, a–hole” as she handed the document to the officer.
The left side of her head hit the driver’s side window upon impact, Reaux said, resulting in a concussion that left her acting out of character at the scene of the crash.
The councilwoman eventually left the scene of the crash in the police chief’s vehicle.
A few days after the crash, Reaux offered gift cards to the officers who responded to the crash, according to the report. The officers tried to decline the coffee shop gift cards, but the police chief intervened and distributed them to the officers. The officers chose to give them to citizens during traffic stops.
The Advocate quoted Guidry as saying, “I’m sure she’s a nice lady, but we all have to pay for our mistakes.”
“She’s a city councilwoman,” Guidry said. “She should be following the same laws. If I did that, there’s no way in hell I’d walk away without being cited for that. That’s failure to control your vehicle.”