LACOMBE, La. — A defiant Dr. Christopher Tape said he has no plans to leave the coroner’s office despite a long list of northshore public officials who wish he would not take office following a David Hammer investigative story in February that showed Tape had once faced child sexual assault allegations.
“The only way to stop me is to kill me frankly, and I don’t want to give anyone ideas,” he said during a press conference following his swearing in ceremony. “I maintain my innocence. That was 23 years ago… If you don’t believe in innocent until proven guilty, you won’t qualify for a jury.”
Tape said the investigative reports unearthed accusations 23 years ago that were dismissed with prejudice and could not be brought back up in court.
Monday was the first time Tape had publicly spoken about the report and a recent controversial decision not to continue to run the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program.
Tape, whose planned celebration at midnight Monday at the coroner’s office was dampened somewhat by a WWL Louisiana TV crew attempting to ask him about just those things, talked about a suspicious package that was found in a closet around 2 a.m. that he said resulted in the police calling the bomb squad. He said his incoming staff were searching for possible “bugs” in the office and he talked about not receiving any cooperation from outgoing coroner Dr. Charles Preston.
The former coroner said the suspicious package was a gag gift that had sat in his office for 10 years and that the idea that he would bug the office is “paranoia.” The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WWL that the bomb squad “inspected the box and deemed nothing about it was concerning and cleared the scene.”
Tape’s press conference was wide ranging and he seemed shook up by the proceedings, but he also made a point to say he would do a good job and has been doing a good job in his role as an expert witness in criminal cases. He also lauded those joining him in the office and said the previous two administrations had made the coroner’s office an unfriendly place to work.
“You can not like me, but there’s a lot of other people in this office besides me that you’re hurting… (Under the previous administration) they were being micromanaged and going home crying every night.”
Tape began work in the office Monday even as Parish President Mike Cooper and other elected officials said they believed a recall petition could soon be circulating. Tape had worked under previous coroner Dr. Charles Preston and was fired from that post for reasons unrelated to the investigation by Hammer. He ran unopposed for coroner and was elected but the voting public was unaware about the allegations in Hammer’s report.
“The people of St. Tammany can be assured that services will be there,” he said. “I have a plan for moving forward in this office. We have a great team in place.”
A large portion of the staff was loyal to Tape after he was fired by Preston in October. Preston appeared to get a last shot in by letting the coroner’s office web domain lapse so it was up for grabs Monday and the office had no functioning web site.
Tape will likely see news stories about a recall petition as one seems certain to at least get started. There’s a high hurdle though, and that is the need of about 35,000 verified signatures to get it on the ballot.
At least some people are in Tape’s corner, including Keith Laborde, a former coroner’s office employee, who said the problems that have been occurring in the coroner’s office in recent years concern him far more than something that Tape wasn’t found responsible for more than two decades ago.
“He was not convicted… He’s not in jail. He’s a free man. He’s been doing autopsies 20-something years and he’s a great guy. He stands up for everyone in this building.”