Posted on 01/18/2004 6:09:37 AM PST by Pern
A north Louisiana lawmaker said she made an error and will repay the state $448.50 for having state troopers relay a set of Sugar Bowl tickets the length of the state to her husband on the day of the national college football championship game.
I made a mistake. I accept responsibility for it, said Sen. Sherri Cheek, R-Shreveport, who started her first term Monday.
On Jan. 4, Cheek's husband was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl but realized he'd left his tickets at home in Shreveport.
Sherri Cheek called State Police and asked troopers to drive from Shreveport to New Orleans to deliver the six tickets to her husband. The cross-state relay got the tickets to Jon Cheek in less than six hours, but news media reports of the favor created negative publicity for the freshman senator.
Regretting the favor, Cheek said, she asked State Police how much she should pay in compensation. Capt. Jim Mitchell, commander of operational development, said the department does not bill for services. Last year, troopers made 122,099 public assists' statewide, most for stranded motorists but none of them were billed for the help.
Cheek said she counted 12 hours of trooper pay, about the time needed for the round-trip, plus mileage expenses for the distance, and arrived at $448.50.
Cheek was at church on game day in Shreveport when she received a pager message from her husband. After church, Cheek said she called her frantic husband in New Orleans, who told her of his problem.
She called the local bus station, airport and FedEx about noon but could not find a way to get the tickets to him in time for the 7 p.m. kickoff, she said.
Cheek called State Police in Baton Rouge, then Troop G in Shreveport. In a recording of her two-minute phone call to the troop which State Police gave to The Times-Picayune, Cheek identified herself as a new senator to a woman taking calls.
I have a big problem I hope you can help me with, said Cheek, who then explained the situation.
Cheek later brought the tickets to Troop G in Shreveport, where the ticket relay began.
Troopers making the drive remained on duty and would be subject to call if there were stranded motorists or crashes, Mitchell said. There was no guarantee the tickets would arrive in time for the game, he said. Cheek said she had regrets about imposing on the troopers 10 minutes after she gave them the tickets.
Did I make a mistake? Absolutely. Will I ever do it again? Absolutely not, Cheek said.
She hasn't even taken office yet, and is already abusing her position. What a fine Louisiana politician she's turning out to be!
Cheek later brought the tickets to Troop G in Shreveport, where the ticket relay began.
And the troop commander should be reprimanded as well, as this is such a clear case of misappropriation of govt. resources.
Cheek said she had regrets about imposing on the troopers 10 minutes after she gave them the tickets.
Yeah, she regrets getting caught!
As I read it, they RELAYED the tickets - that means they stayed in their assigned patrol areas.
So instead of sitting and eating doughnuts, while trying to trap some poor SOB for going to fast, these guys were actually patrolling the highway. They were still available if needed.
What's the BFD? It was LSU, for crying out loud!
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