St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith may be on the verge of resignation, according to reports.
New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche says Tuesday's resignation of Chief Deputy Jeff Boehm may have been a precursor.
"The fact that he has elected to step away from this position to me is indicative of the fact that the sheriff's departure is imminent," Goyeneche told WWL-TV.
Goyeneche says Boehm has been Smith's second-in-command "since day one."
The chief deputy's departure comes weeks after Sheriff Randy Smith's arrest on a felony battery charge, following an incident last month at a restaurant in Madisonville.
The sheriff was booked after he was accused of attacking a man from behind at Keith Young's Steakhouse. The victim, local blogger Bobby Couvillon, was treated after the incident for a concussion and other injuries.
"I suspect that what's going to happen is, the sheriff will shortly resign, and then the sheriff will enter into some type of plea agreement with the district attorney," said Goyeneche.
