[StBernard] Grand jury hearing testimony on St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta's case

[Westley Annis]

Grand jury hearing testimony on St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta's
case

Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on September 24, 2014 at 9:28 AM, updated September 24, 2014 at 2:11 PM

State prosecutors Wednesday morning were presenting testimony to a St.
Tammany Parish grand jury involving St. Bernard Parish President Dave
Peralta, two sources close to the case confirmed.

Stephen London, one of Peralta's attorney in Peralta's existing charge of
sexual battery of his now ex-wife Sharon Schaefer, also confirmed later
Wednesday that he had been made aware that state prosecutors would be
bringing addition charges in front of the jury.

On July 25, state investigators and St. Bernard sheriff's officials seized
computers and documents from parish administrative offices and Peralta's
home. In seeking that search warrant, investigators said they had "a
reasonable probability" of finding evidence of intimidation of a witness,
obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office, according to court
records.

Assistant Attorney General David Weilbaecher, who is heading up prosecution
of the sexual battery case, and Schaefer were at the courthouse in Covington
Wednesday morning, but would not comment on the matter. One source said
Schaefer is expected to be called as a witness in front of the grand jury. A
spokeswoman for the Attorney General's office declined comment.

Peralta did not immediately return a call on Wednesday regarding the grand
jury proceeding, but earlier this week he said he did not know anything
about them. Schaefer declined to comment, citing the gag order imposed,
preventing them from speaking to the press, in the sexual battery case.

On April 23, a St. Bernard grand jury indicted Peralta on the sexual battery
charge. She accused him of handcuffing her, forcing her to perform oral sex
and raping her at their Meraux home. Peralta, who has pleaded not guilty to
the charge, has denied wrongdoing, saying the bondage and sex both were
consensual and activities that he and his then-wife had engaged in
previously.

Schaefer has been living in Slidell this year, which could explain why state
prosecutors on Wednesday are presenting evidence to a St. Tammany grand
jury. 

In court documents filed on July 8 in separate civil case related to Peralta
and Schaefer's divorce in St. Bernard, Schaefer claimed that Peralta "has
continued to harass and threaten" her. The filing stated Peralta "has
disrupted her well being" by sending her "e-mails from various addresses,
using the identity of mover (Schaefer) and her family members to post
comments on NOLA.com, and contacting mover's family members."

Peralta's attorney Stephen London said last month that Peralta "has not
communicated with Sharon" Schaefer at all, either by phone or in emails.