LIVINGSTON, La. (The Livingston Parish News) – The defendant and his lawyer could not agree.
On Monday, Dec. 9, former Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office lieutenant Dennis Perkins’ attorney David Bourland, a high-powered lawyer out of Baton Rouge, filed a motion to be removed from the case. Bourland’s motion cites an inability to agree on a defense for Perkins as his reason for requesting removal.
It was filed in an attempt to avoid conflict of interest or prejudice, his motion said.
“However, it has become apparent to (J) Movant that he, and the Defendant, Mr. Perkins, are not able to proceed in an effective and sufficient manner to provide a proper and constitutional defense in Defendant’s behalf,” the motion said.
“Defendant needs to be represented by counsel that can work, again, effectively, with him, to make sure the defense is as thorough and smooth as possible on Mr. Perkins’s behalf. It is evident to undersigned counsel/Movant, that Defendant and he are not able to work together towards a mutually agreeable defense.”
The motion was signed Monday afternoon and a withdrawal hearing will be held Dec. 19 as part of Perkins’ motion hearings.
According to the filing, the state has not formally charged Perkins as of yet, and he is being held in custody at Elayn Hunt in St. Gabriel while he awaits trial. The move was for Perkins’ “protection” as the Hunt facility contains single cell accommodations, while the Livingston Parish Detention Center is only general population.
The State Department of Corrections said that Perkins’ placement in that facility came at no cost to Livingston Parish taxpayers.
According to the filing for removal, Bourland hopes that his exit from the case at this time will give time for Perkins to acquire new counsel for his Dec. 19 court date. Bourland expects Perkins to enter a plea of “not guilty” to “any potential formal Indictment or Bill of Information.”
Perkins, 44, faces 60 counts of production of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13, two counts of first-degree rape, three counts of possession of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13, two counts of video voyeurism, two counts of obscenity, and one count of obstruction of justice.
Perkins was arrested with his wife, Cynthia Perkins, a former Livingston Parish school teacher, as the result of a criminal probe led by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office with assistance from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI), Louisiana State Police, and Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office.
However, that Attorney General investigation has not yet been completed and the results released. If the state is to issue an indictment at this time, that could mean that the Attorney General’s Investigation is wrapping up.
While Sheriff Jason Ard offered comments on (Dennis) Perkins’ history with his department, he did not comment on the investigation by request of the Attorney General. The school board followed suit.
