Chris Paul faces uncontested police chief race amid rape allegations

Chris Paul, a 46-year-old man facing two counts of second-degree rape, is poised to become the police chief of Elizabeth, Louisiana, after his only opponent withdrew from the race.

Paul was arrested in early September following allegations that he raped two 13-year-old girls between 2005 and 2006. He was released on a $60,000 bond. While Louisiana law prohibits individuals convicted of felonies from holding public office, pending criminal charges do not legally prevent a candidate from running.

His sole challenger, Zachary Lacaze, ended his campaign in late September. Lacaze, a civilian security employee at the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation, cited concerns regarding the Hatch Act, which limits certain political activities for federal employees. Because the qualifying period for the November election has passed, officials cannot remove Paul from the ballot or replace him, leaving him as the uncontested candidate for the village of approximately 400 residents.