By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A St. John the Baptist Parish attorney who serves as the Parish Council’s legal advisor, has taken a leave of absence from the district attorney’s office following an arrest for DWI and public intimidation on Sept. 23.

Jeff Perilloux, 43, of Riker Court in LaPlace, was arrested after State Police pulled him over at the intersection of U.S. Highway 51 and Airline Highway in LaPlace at 12:20 a.m., said Trooper Melissa Matey, a spokesperson for Troop B. Matey said Perilloux was also cited for obstruction of a roadway and driving with an expired driver’s license.

Matey said specific details of the incident were not available, but she explained that public intimidation involves making threats against an arresting officer.

St. John Parish District Attorney Tom Daley said Perilloux, a part-time employee of the district attorney’s office, had requested the leave of absence on his own while the legal process is handled. Daley did not give a specific length for the leave. He said Perilloux is scheduled for an arraignment Nov. 5.

Daley said Perilloux’s duties include service as the parish’s legal advisor, a position he has held for the last 10 years. He said the district attorney’s office has a contract with the parish to provide legal services. Perilloux, Daley and other members of the district attorney’s office are regular fixtures at parish council meetings.

Perilloux had most recently served as one of eight members of Parish President Natalie Robottom’s Governmental Ethics Committee, a sub-committee of the 70-member Presidential Advisory Committee that also included Daley. The committee was responsible for coming up with ways to improve and strengthen the ethics of parish government.