Former St. Landry president Menard booked on bad check charge

Former two-term St. Landry Parish President Don Menard has bonded out of the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center after being arrested on a charge of issuing worthless checks.
The Independent reported Tuesday that according to an arrest affidavit obtained through the LPCC, Menard was arrested Friday in St. Martin Parish.
A bench warrant had been issued for the former politician, 59, last July by Lafayette District Court Judge Rick Michot. The amount involved in the alleged worthless checks was not stipulated.
Menard served as parish president from 2004 through 2011 and made an unsuccessful bid for the state Legislature during his final year in office, losing the District 39 seat to Rep. Stephen Ortego.
Menard was investigated and cleared by the state attorney general’s office in 2013 on suspicion that he improperly used his parish-issued credit card for personal purchases during his time in office. Those suspicions were raised by questions posed in an annual legislative audit.