The Flyer: What’s True and What Isn’t

Earlier this year when David Barrow began testing the waters for a possible race this fall against his former boss, Central Mayor Jr. Shelton, the rumor mills began cranking up. People were talking about a series of criminal accusations against Barrow that spanned more than a decade.
Many said Barrow would never run because of “what was out there,” but run he has. To the surprise of many, the former Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Central was not only running but very much in contention in a three-way race with Shelton and businessman Marc Michelli.
Then last week, voters throughout Central received a large postcard recounting a series of accusations against Barrow. Suddenly, the bottom seemed to fall out of his campaign. Many voters had never heard the accusations, and they were shocked and appalled. Shelton and Michelli forces sensed a noticeable bounce — maybe more than a bounce — and Barrow supporters began to see problems.
But were the accusations on the postcard true? At the Central City News, we sought to find out.
Some of the more serious allegations against Barrow came in 2003 when he was a teacher at Central Middle School. A person who participated in the investigation told us the following: Barrow was allowing some 9th graders at Central High School to come to his home and drink vodka. When their parents found out, the parents went to the school and complained.
An administrator at the school urged an investigator not to continue because Barrow’s family had money and would use it. However, the investigation proceeded. Investigators said they established that Barrow was allowing access to a place on his property where the students could go and get vodka. He was not present at the time.
Over the years, rumors had Barrow allowing students to come to his home to drink alcohol and watch porn. However, this investigation did not establish whether that was true.
On Feb. 13, 2004, the Advocate reported that the East Baton Rouge Parish school system informed Barrow, then a 37-year-old teacher with 12 years’ experience, that they would begin the process of terminating him. Instead of facing that proceeding, Barrow resigned on Jan. 6, 2004.
According to the Advocate story, when the Sheriff’s office learned about what happened, they began their own investigation, which resulted in their issuing Barrow a misdemeanor summons for Contributing to the Delinquency of a minor. When contacted by the Advocate, Barrow said the incidents had
been “blown out of proportion.”
The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s office referred Barrow to a pretrial intervention program that allowed him to avoid going to trial.
In 2004, Barrow told the Advocate that his resignation on Jan. 6 had nothing to do with the accusations of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. Instead, he told the Advocate, “I just left because I got tired of teaching.”
However, it wasn’t long before he applied for and was given a job teaching at Brusly High School in West Baton Rouge Parish.
Soon parents there too started complaining to administrators about inappropriate messages their children were receiving from Barrow. When Barrow’s name surfaced at the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board office, they were familiar with what had happened in East Baton Rouge Parish. After an investigation, in 2007, Barrow was fired.
Rumors surfaced that Barrow was required to permanently give up teaching. However, we have not been able to determine if that is true.
Barrow came to work for Central Mayor Mac Watts effective July 2, 2007. He took on three roles: Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Council Administrator, and Planning and Zoning Administrator. At the time, he told the Central City News that he would have to resign his position as a teacher in West Baton Rouge Parish, but in fact Barrow was fired from that job.
Barrow stayed with Mayor Watts as Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Central until Watts’ term ended June 30, 2014. He continued on in the same capacity under Mayor Jr. Shelton.
In 2016 he was fired by Shelton over Barrow’s allegedly forging a signature on a contract. After an investigation by the Sheriff’s office, Barrow has arrested for Maintaining False Public Records.
Barrow’s firing and arrest were covered widely in the Baton Rouge media.
Months later, three individuals vandalized Central City Hall. Unfortunately for them, the event was recorded on City Hall’s security. Two Central women were arrested for Criminal Mischief. The getaway vehicle was soon identified as belonging to David Barrow. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he turned himself in.
District Attorney Hillar Moore told the Central City News charges have not yet been issued in the either the case of Maintaining False Public Records or the case of Criminal Mischief. He said he is familiar with all Barrow’s run-in’s with the law. He said the current cases have been assigned to an Assistant District Attorney, and they are being reviewed.
The mailing about David Barrow’s criminal history was sent out by a political action committee called Louisiana Law Enforcement PAC, which was organized in early 2017 by former Baton Rouge Police Chief Jeff LeDuff. The chairman is Chris Stewart.
Contributors to the PAC in 2018 are: GM Cable Contractors, Inc., $6,000; Louisiana Workforce, LLC, $2,500; Custom Actuation Sales, LLC, $2,500; Michael Songy, $1,000; Will Easley, $1,000, and Compliance Envirosystems, LLC, $250.