Man accused of cutting off two puppies’ heads, killing others
February 11, 2015Houma Mardi Gras schedule altered due to weather
February 14, 2015
The former king of a Houma Carnival krewe arrested Monday for allegedly violating terms of his status as a registered sex offender, was arrested again Wednesday for having a profile on LinkedIn, an Internet business networking site.
(See our original story on Matherne’s initial arrest here)
Glynn J. Matherne Jr. surrendered to authorities Wednesday after a detective called him, friends and family members said. He resigned Tuesday from the Krewe of Mardi Gras after the club sent him a formal letter demanding that he abandon his membership and the title of king.
Sheriff Sheriff Jerry Larpenter said Matherne was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail with his bond set at $25,000.
“He can’t be on social networking,” said Larpenter, who confirmed that Matherne was charged, and that the law clearly states he cannot have a social networking profile of any sort.
Monday’s arrest occurred after Matherne’s photo, which appeared in a newspaper as this year’s king of the Krewe of Mardi Gras, was noticed by someone who notified police.
Registered sex offenders are barred from wearing masks in public and the law specifically references Carnival parades and Halloween. The law also bars offenders from giving gifts to children – again referencing Mardi Gras and Halloween – and Larpenter said beads and trinkets are included in that category.
Matherne posted bond on the misdemeanor charge Monday afternoon and was released from jail. He is not alleged to have committed any type of sex crime since his 2003 conviction on a charge of carnal knowledge of a juvenile. His only charges since then have been in connection with the rules governing the conduct of people on the sexual offender list. Matherne is scheduled to be removed from that list in 2018, although convictions on the charges he thus far faces could result in his being made to register again.
Attorney Jerri Smitko, who is representing the Krewe of Mardi Gras, issued a statement on behalf of the krewe Monday saying members were “shocked and outraged to learn that Mr. Matherne, our presumptive king, deliberately misled our organization in order to obtain a title that he did not deserve.”
“The Krewe immediately launched an investigation regarding Mr. Matherne upon receiving information that he was a convicted sex offender,” a statement issued by the krewe reads. “All state-issued driver’s licenses belonging to sex offenders have their status as a sex offender listed on their driver’s licenses. We began our investigation by referencing the copy of Mr. Matherene’s driver’s license that he provided to the Krewe as is required of all members. It became immediately clear that he had altered the copy of his driver’s license given to us to obscure the reference to his status as a sex offender.”
An emergency meeting of the krewe’s executive board was called and the club demanded that he resign his position as king and member.
“We received Mr. Matherne’s letter of resignation shortly thereafter,” the statement reads. “Though we took action with all haste legally allowed, we as a Krewe are still embarrassed at the very occurrence of this situation. We have voted to strengthen our protocols regarding background checks of our members, and we are in the process of auditing our entire membership to ensure that this will never happen again. We are committed to preserving our goals of providing entertainment to our community, attracting tourists and sustaining the welfare of our community. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the children, especially his own, who have been negatively impacted by Mr. Matherne’s deceit.”
Matherne’s social networking presence consists of a terse mention of his position and company – Houston-based Cardno PPI.
An employee at the firm’s Lafayette office said employees are not required to have LinkedIn accounts.
If convicted for the violation, Matherne faces a fine of up to $20,000 and a prison sentence of anywhere from five to 20 years without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence
