Fifteenth Judicial District Judge David Smith postponed Brian Pope's sentencing until June 19 to give himself more time to review court transcripts.
Lafayette's suspended city marshal will have to wait more than two months to learn his fate after his sentencing on felony convictions of perjury and malfeasance was postponed to June.
Brian Pope was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday on three counts of malfeasance and a single count of perjury. But 15th Judicial District Judge David Smith postponed the sentencing until June 19 to give himself more time to review court transcripts regarding a motion for acquittal filed by Pope's defense team.
Pope faces a sentencing range from probation to up to five years in prison on each count.
Pope's lawyers filed the motion for acquittal after a Lafayette Parish jury convicted him on the four felony counts last year. By law, Smith must rule on that motion before sentencing.
John McLindon, one of Pope's lawyers, said his motion sought transcripts from some of the witnesses in the trial. Smith wants the entire transcript to review, McLindon said.
McLindon called Smith's response a positive for his client.
Attempts to reach Assistant District Attorney Alan Haney, who prosecuted the case, were unsuccessful.
In October, the jury found Pope guilty of lying during a sworn deposition about authorizing a mass email distribution from his office email address. The jury also found him guilty of using public funds from his office to pay attorneys.
The case stems from a 2015 public records request from The Independent, the now-defunct newspaper. The paper asked for records after Pope held a press conference and was critical of Mark Garber, who was then a candidate for sheriff, an election Garber eventually won.
Pope refused to release the documents, but the Independent sued and won. He was found in criminal contempt of court when he still refused to turn over the documents.
Pope is expected back in court Thursday in connection with other charges against him.
In the second case, a grand jury indicted Pope in September on 17 counts of malfeasance over more than $84,000 in fees and garnishments that prosecutors say he illegally kept. An assistant state attorney general had advised Pope the money belonged to the marshal's office.
Last week, Pope was hit with yet another round of charges.
In that case, a grand jury indicted him on two more counts of malfeasance. He is accused of double-dipping in public funds by paying for expenses related to two conferences out of his office accounts, then filing for reimbursements that he deposited in his personal bank account.
As city marshal, Pope's job was to execute orders and mandates of the Lafayette City Court, and to protect the court's judges and staff, as well as citizens who access the court.