CHALMETTE, LA (AP) — A plea deal will enable former St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta to avoid jail on a variety of criminal charges.
Peralta pleaded no contest Friday to counts of malfeasance, stalking and abuse of office. The Advocate’s Jim Mustian reports that, under the plea agreement, charges he faced in St. Bernard and East Baton Rouge parishes will be dismissed.
Friday's proceedings resolved a legal saga that began with his ex-wife, Sharon Schaefer, accusing him of beating and raping her in October 2013. Peralta denied the accusation and a sexual battery charge eventually was dropped. But other charges followed involving allegations involving his alleged abuse of office and campaign funds.
Peralta lost a re-election bid last fall, getting only 3 percent of the vote.
