Coreil to leave DA’s office; wishes his successor the best

By: CARISSA HEBERT

Managing Editor

C. Brent Coreil, who has served the parish as district attorney for the past 12 years, will leave office in a few weeks, and he is preparing for a new chapter in his life.

“I’m not afraid of the unknown and the future,” he said. If he knew then what he knows now, Coreil said he wouldn’t change a thing during these last 12 years. His heart belongs to public service. It’s something he has enjoyed, and he takes pride in the accomplishments he has achieved as district attorney.

“My philosophy is what’s in the past is in the past, and we only look forward to the future. I wish Trent (Brignac) success.” Coreil has extended an invitation to Brignac to call him if he needs anything in the future. He said the political race is in the past, and the most important thing is servicing the public and its needs. The two have discussed the transition as Coreil prepares to step down and Brignac prepares to take the reins.

Coreil takes pride in the office he leaves for Brignac. As district attorney, he worked hard to make honest, rational and sincere decisions for the people of Evangeline Parish. He thanks his staff for its support. “I managed to put together a wonderful staff through the past 12 years who were very dedicated and hard working. I could not have been successful without them, and I’m not taking the credit. My staff worked hard.”

Coreil said Rudy Guillory, with his FBI training and certification, is a great asset. His prosecutional staff included Tony Walker, with 24 years of service, who was like the navigator of the office. Raymond Lejeune was very successful as chief prosecutor, Kathy Meyers was a great trial attorney and very dedicated in the juvenile justice system. Johnathan Vidrine and Shelly Deville were very capable attorneys. He said Connie Soileau handled many matters for him and always made sure he was where he needed to be. “I could name them all; Crystal in traffic, Kim in non support, Sue Ortis as criminal trial secretary, and Jerry Veillon as the juvenile and diversion program. Roger Chreitin worked worthless checks and Carla Dupuis was the victim assistance coordinator. Kay Roberts, who retired from probation and parole, worked afternoons helping us in different positions. They were always there. They did a super job.”

In the last 12 years, the district attorney’s office has made history in certain cases like the Christopher Pierce case, which involved the death of two small children and severely injured a third child. After prosecuting the case, Coreil received recognition from the director of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The letter stated, “As someone who has advocated for victims’ rights for the past 12 years, I can attest to the fact that Mr. Coreil’s support of and concern for the victims far exceeds that which I have witnessed across the state. Although many prosecutors work well with victims, in my opinion, none have gone to such lengths to include crime victims in the criminal justice process as Brent Coreil. Indeed, he and his entire staff are to be commended.”

Another big case was taking a serial rapist, Norman Wilson, off the streets. This involved six cold cases, one at least 27 years old, and four of the six victims were now deceased. The families were grateful the district attorney’s office pursued charges. Wilson was convicted and received a life sentence. “It happened because of the work of my staff and Neal Lartigue and the Ville Platte Police Department.”

Coreil often began his days at 7 a.m. and worked until everyone had left for the day. He said people would call him and visit him at home for assistance with their problems. He always believed a leader leads by example, so it never bothered him if he was the last one to leave. He also believed an open door policy to the public was the best one to possess. He even used it in his legal practice, because he said sometimes people just need someone to talk to or they need to know where to go for assistance. He didn’t have all the answers, but he tired to find someone to help those he couldn’t assist. “That’s what people looked for,” he said.

When Coreil took office, there was approximately $50,000 in reserve. He began building a financially sound office through programs like his worthless check program. Through his years in office, the program has collected over $800,000. He said its success has been sought by other district attorneys across the state, who have modeled their own programs on Evangeline Parish’s program.

He received grants and designated court fees to supplement what his office received, and at no cost to the taxpayers, his office operated smoothly through the years.

“I’ve discussed it with Trent,” he said. “I’ve discussed the operation of the office. He’s been very receptive.”

As he discussed the operations of the district attorney’s office, Coreil’s love for public service was evident. He wants to make sure the office continues to be successful in the future, “because Evangeline Parish needs a strong district attorney’s office. I’ll assist Trent in any way he needs. Of course, he’ll be making the final decisions.”

Coreil said he chose to run for district attorney to make a better parish for its citizens so he wants the new district attorney to be very successful.

“I think he’s a capable young man,” he said. “If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t have hired him 11 years ago.”

Recently, he spoke to Trent about the expiration of several grants the district attorney’s office has secured. Brignac requested copies of these grants, and they sent the information to him. “I want to try to make it a smooth transition.”

As he prepares to leave office, Coreil is receiving cards and letters from people throughout the state. An attorney from Lafayette told him, “You never compromised your office by showing preference by virtue or political status, income, gender or race in any criminal prosecution.” Coreil said he takes that as a big complement because his office was faced with some huge cases that affected the parish in several ways.

Finally, Coreil has to thank his family for their support. He said it’s been a wonderful experience for him and his family. His son, Chris, is a district conservationist in DeRidder. His daughter, Virginia, is now practicing law in Ville Platte, and his youngest, Katherine, received her masters this past spring in social studies and is employed with the Diocese of East Baton Rouge and working with prospective adoptive mothers. “I’m very proud of my kids.” He also acknowledges his wife of 40 years this April, Linda, for standing by him through the hard times and the good times. “She’s been a loving wife to me.”

Coreil said he wants to thank the people of Evangeline Parish, who gave him this opportunity to serve them. “It was a great ride. I kind of feel like a kid who went on his first vacation to Disney World and had a great time. When you leave, there’s so many things you wanted to do,” he said. For now, he’ll return to his law practice, which he left 12 years ago. He looks forward to the change in his life and what time will bring him. He’s always loved his career and plans to continue serving the public. It’s not goodbye, just the writing of a new chapter in his life, and we hope he will continue to be successful in life and in his career.