Louisiana Voice

John Raymond was found guilty but it’s unclear when he will ever be sentenced.

Raymond, for those who don’t know, is a preacher in St. Tammany Parish who was charged – and convicted – of cruelty to juveniles at Lakeside Christian Academy a school he founded in Slidell.

Raymond, the disciplinarian principal (well, it is his school), was accused of taping the mouths of misbehaving boys for up to 40 minutes at a time and he once held his hand over the mouth and nose of a four-year-old until the child went limp. One woman who observed the latter event thought the child had died.

At trial, staff members testified that Raymond, 62, maintained a culture of fear and intimidation at the school.  He often demeaned employees at the school, saying that “anyone off the street can be a teacher” and that no special qualifications were required. He also claimed “pastoral privileges” and that he was “spiritually ordained” in administering his particular form of discipline. He claimed that the school handbook authorized corporal punishment and that parents agreed to that provision upon enrollment of their children in the school.  But when the handbook was introduced at trial, there was no mention of the authorization of corporal punishment.

His was yet another case of social media self-victimization: He had this little habit of boasting of his disciplinary tactics in online posts.

A member in good standing of the Republican State Central Committee, he adhered to the party line in his defense, saying the case was “woke” and that he was a victim of cancel culture.

He somehow managed to drag the trial out to a six-day ordeal last August and September but it took the jury only an hour of deliberation to convict him – and part of that time was spent selecting a jury foreman.

Following his conviction, the Louisiana Republican Party, that party renowned for its pro-life (only up to the time you’re born) and pro-family façade, actually had the cojones to endorse Raymond in his bid to win a state House seat in St. Tammany. They say the political landscape in St. Tammany is something to behold. I believe that. He received only 39 percent of the vote.

But sentencing, like the inordinately lengthy trial, seems to be taking more time than it should. That may be attributed in part to his penchant to firing lawyers faster than Donald Trump. The latest clog in the judicial machinery occurred when Raymond fired yet another lawyer just before sentencing. This time it was Jane Hogan of Hammon.

That put his sentencing, scheduled for Monday of this week, on hold – again. Perhaps the state Republican Party would like to file an amicus curiae brief on behalf of Raymond. Oh wait. It seems that the State Republican Party, shocked and embarrassed at the reverend’s shenanigans, initiated procedures to remove him from his leadership position.