Jack Strain
| Rodney Jack Strain, Jr. | |
 | |
| In office 1996–2016 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Jon "Pat" Canulette |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | "Randy" Smith |
| Born | November 28, 1962 |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democrat-turned-Republican (2003) |
| Spouse(s) | Lisa Marie Palmer Strain (married c. 1984) |
| Children | Rachel Julia Strain One son (name missing) |
| Occupation | Former law-enforcement officer |
Rodney Jack Strain, Jr., known as Jack Strain (born November 28, 1962),[1] is a former sheriff of St. Tammany Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana, who was convicted in 2021 of aggravated sexual abuse of four minors, all young boys.[2]
Strain was elected sheriff in 1995 as a Democrat to succeed the Republican Patrick Jon "Pat" Canulette (born February 1, 1948) of Slidell[3] who did not seek reelection. Strain was one of two Democrats in the 1995 nonpartisan blanket primary, along with seven Republicans and an Independent. In the runoff election, Strain defeated Republican "Ben" Morris, 30,576 votes (50.2 percent) to 30,276 (49.8 percent). Strain ran without opposition in 1999. In 2003, running as a Republican, Strain polled 79 percent of the ballots cast in the primary. In December 2015, he was unseated by another Republican, "Randy" Smith, who still serves as sheriff.[4]
Sheriff Smith said that he had previously heard of the allegations against his predecessor. In an interview with WWL-TV, Smith said, “When you have allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, it’s sickening.”[5]
Strain is also the target of a federal probe looking into a former work-release program which he supervised. Tim Lentz, a former deputy under Strain and the former police chief in Covington, said that he was shocked by the allegations and that his former boss must be investigated and held accountable for any crimes proved.[2] Strain faces potential charges of having received kickbacks from two of deputies, Clifford "Skip" Keen, Jr., and David Hanson, Sr., after Strain awarded a contract to a company established in the names of children of the deputies. In the federal document, Strain is referred to as "Public Official 1." He allegedly received $1,000 on a recurring basis from the fall of 2013 through the autumn of 2016 in exchange for “bestowing the right to operate the work-release," known as St. Tammany Workforce Solutions . Strain has not been charged in probe.[6]
Under Strain's tenure, St. Tammany Parish had the highest incarceration rates for African-American men in the state. Some used the pejorative "St. Slammany" to refer to the incarcerations. Strain was repeatedly questioned about racist incidents, which became the focus of his failed 2015 reelection bid. His opponents noted that in 2014 racist emails were sent and received by two high ranking detectives at the sheriff's office. The emails likened black males to animals, called then U.S. President Barack H. Obama a "monkey", and referred to African-Americans as the “entitlement crowd.”[5]
Strain is a cousin of Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Michael Gene "Mike" Strain, a Republican elected to a third term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 12, 2019. Another cousin, R. H. "Bill" Strain, a Democrat, preceded Mike Strain in the District 74 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Mike Strain assumed the House seat in 2000, eight years before his election as agriculture commissioner.
Upon his conviction for the sex crimes, Strain now faces life in prison. After his conviction by a jury of six men and six women, Strain was removed to the Plaquemines Parish jail as he awaits his verdict for the crimes committed in January 2022.[7]
References
- ↑ Rodney Strain. Mylife.com. Retrieved on December 14, 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shock, sadness over allegations against ex-sheriff Jack Strain: Current St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith, who took on Strain in the recent election for sheriff, said that he was shocked but that he had known of the allegations for a while. WWL-TV (New Orleans) (December 13, 2018). Retrieved on December 14, 2018.
- ↑ Patrick Canulette. Mylife.com. Retrieved on December 14, 2018.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns: St. Tammany Parish, 1995, 2003, and 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 David Lohr (December 14, 2018). Controversial Louisiana Ex-Sheriff Accused Of Sexually Abusing Teens: Allegations against Jack Strain reportedly surfaced during a federal probe into a now-defunct work release program he supervised. Huffington Post. Retrieved on December 18, 2018.
- ↑ Robert Rhoden (November 28, 2018). Former Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain received kickbacks after awarding work-release contract: feds. New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved on December 14, 2018.
- ↑ After sex crimes conviction, former Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain moved to Plaquemines jail. New Orleans Times-Picayune (November 9, 2021).