[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish president maintains that wife's rape allegation is 'a personal matter'

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Tue Jan 21 21:21:25 EST 2014


St. Bernard Parish president maintains that wife's rape allegation is 'a
personal matter'
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
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on January 21, 2014 at 4:34 PM, updated January 21, 2014 at 6:58 PM

St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta declined to comment on Tuesday at
his first public event since his wife alleged in court filings on Friday
that he had handcuffed her, beat her and raped her last October. Peralta's
office instead emailed a two-sentence statement at the start of a St.
Bernard Parish Council meeting, calling the allegations "a personal matter."

"Unfortunately St. Bernard Parish government's policy prohibits me from
discussing any matters that are currently in litigation," Peralta wrote in
the statement. "Also, this is a personal matter as well and I would ask that
you respect my privacy for the present time."

It was unclear why parish policy would prevent Peralta from commenting on
his own divorce filing and the investigation of the alleged rape. Peralta
had made some public comments about the matter last fall when the allegation
first surfaced.

Also on Tuesday, the state attorney general's office confirmed that St.
Bernard Parish District Attorney John Rowley had recused his office from the
rape case and that the matter is now is in Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's
hands.

"The case is being evaluated to determine the proper course of action,"
wrote Caldwell spokesman Steven Hartman. "No reports will be disclosed at
this time."

Sharon Schaefer Peralta filed for and received a protective order against
Dave Peralta on Friday. In that petition, she said that she and her husband
were not speaking on Oct. 27, the day of the alleged rape. That date also
happened to be her 49th birthday, according to the court filings.

"Also this is a personal matter as well and I would ask that you respect my
privacy for the present time." - Dave Peralta
She wrote in the filings that Peralta forced himself on her and hurt her,
writing that "maybe I didn't want it but he was taking it."

"He raped and beat me and then walked away," she wrote.

In that filing, she also wrote that Peralta "has always been controlling."

"He has since becoming Parish President, held my job over my head if I did
not listen to him or lie for him," she wrote in a section titled "past
incidents." She said Peralta "would tell me he would fire me and I would
lose my pension."

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune does not routinely identify people who say
they are victims of sexual crimes. But Dave Peralta, in response to news
reports about an alleged sexual assault, identified the woman who made the
allegation as his wife.

Peralta said in October that the incident was a "domestic disagreement" and
that his wife had dropped all charges.

Sharon Peralta is a paralegal and has worked in parish government since
2007. She currently is on leave. The Peraltas began dating in early 2008,
and when Dave Peralta took office in January 2012, the two were engaged,
they have said previously.

They married on March 31, 2012. They officially separated on Dec. 10,
according to Dave Peralta's divorce filing a few weeks later.

The day before their separation, Dave Peralta had told NOLA.com | The
Times-Picayune: "As far as I know, this matter is over. My wife is seeking
help in this matter and that is really all I am going say about it."

In his petition for divorce filed on Dec. 23, Dave Peralta states that he
"has been free from fault in this divorce. Moreover, defendant, Sharon
Schaefer Peralta, has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented the
actions and words of petitioner."

In his petition, Dave Peralta said he "fears for his safety and well-being"
and asked for and subsequently received a temporary restraining order
preventing Sharon Peralta "from harassing, interfering with, physically
abusing, threatening or in any other manner endangering the personal
well-being of petitioner, David Elliot Peralta, either by telephone, at his
... home, in person, in writing or through website postings on the internet,
text messaging or other electronic communication devices."

According to State Police records, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office
received the initial complaint of a sexual assault, alleging that on Oct. 27
at about 11 a.m., Peralta raped an adult female at his home in the 4400
block of Newport Street in Meraux. The protective order filed by Sharon
Peralta states that the alleged rape occurred on her 49th birthday and that
it occurred at their home.

The rape allegedly took place on a Sunday. The following Tuesday, Oct. 29,
Dave Peralta released a statement that said his wife had dropped all charges
against him.

"Today my wife Sharon informed Louisiana State Police in video statement
that she has decided to drop all charges stemming from a domestic
disagreement," that one-paragraph statement from Peralta read. "It is
regrettable that law enforcement officials were summoned into this personal
dispute. Sharon and I are sorry that this matter has escalated beyond a
private matter."

State Police continued the investigation, and in late November it forwarded
the case to Rowley's office, according to the State Police.

On Dec. 30, Rowley recused his office, and the attorney general's office
received the file on Jan. 8, according to Caldwell's office.



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