Tempers flare at jury meeting

Robert Hebert admitted that he tendered his two-seek notice in anger at what he thought was a personal attack against him.

Unfortunately for him, that two weeks ended Tuesday and at closing time that day he was no longer the supervisor at the Acadia Parish Sanitary Landfill.

He appeared before the jury at its regular meeting Tuesday night to try to get his job back.

It didn’t work.

“He can put an application in just like everybody else,” said Juror Dale Trahan after a mostly heated discussion.

“I though I was hired to keep y’all’s phones from ringing and to handle what I had to handle,” Hebert told the jury. “I was supposed to dispose of the people’s trash, cover it properly and keep stuff from getting into our water table.”

But Hebert said he felt certain jurors were “harassing” him because of what they considered poor maintenance of parish equipment.

“You came out there and climbed up on one of the dozers,” he said, pointing an accusing finger at A.J. “Jay” Credeur. “You can’t do that.”

But Credeur countered that he could, indeed, because he is a taxpaying citizens of the parish.

“So I’m supposed to let just any citizen that wants to, come out and climb on the dozers?” Hebert asked.

The incident Hebert referenced happened the weekend prior to Feb. 26, the day Hebert gave his notice. Credeur had visited the landfill, unbeknownst to Hebert, and had taken pictures of the equipment there.

Credeur, Trahan and Robert Guidry each accused Hebert of not maintaining parish equipment properly, leading to costly repairs and forcing the purchase of replacement equipment.

“We’re not happy with the way things are being handled out there,” said Guidry, adding that he urges citizens of the parish to visit the landfill to see for themselves the condition of the equipment.

“Nobody was after Robert Hebert,” said Jury President David Guidry. “We just want Robert Hebert to take better care of the equipment we entrust him with.

“For two years you sat in here and listened to Mr. Credeur and Mr. Trahan talk about he lack of maintenance on that equipment and yet, nothing was done.”

Hebert also was accused of “wasting dirt” at the landfill by using too much for cover.

He claimed he never used more dirt than was required by the DEQ permit. That claim was backed up by Phillip Richard, manager, who said he had been at the site for 16 years and “barely got by DEQ sometimes because I didn’t use enough dirt.”

Both Hebert and Richard said dirt was sometimes used by the parish road crews for road maintenance projects, but Hebert had to be warned to back away from the jurors after he accused Trahan of having four loads of dirt delivered to his residence.

Trahan denied the claim and Hebert asked, “Are you calling me a liar?” as he approached the juror. “I don’t lie, but I don’t take pictures, y’all do.”

Al Stevenson attempted to offer a motion to allow Hebert to return to his position, but Savoy pointed out that the agenda item was “discussion” only. No action could be taken.

“If y’all give me my job back, good,” Hebert said. “If not, I’ll just walk away.”

Stevenson asked that the matter be placed on the April agenda.