YOUNGSVILLE, La. (KLFY) — It was an explosive special city council meeting in Youngsville Thursday night, where Youngsville Police Chief Rickey Boudreaux refused to step down from his position.

The chief says he will continue acting as the city’s top law enforcement leader as the council begins its investigation into his role in a crash involving now former City Councilwoman Kayla Reaux.

Boudreaux said both he and Reaux have been receiving death threats since the body camera video surfaced.

Regardless, he says he will fight to protect his name and the position he’s held for over a decade.

“Each and every one of you, good luck removing me from office,” Boudreaux told the council in the special meeting.

The city council asked Boudreaux to take a voluntary leave of absence, pending an investigation launched Thursday night into his actions, though the chief said he’s not going anywhere.

“You, as a council, have shown that you are not a group that can be trusted,” Boudreaux said.

He told the council the video clearly shows he did not give the councilwoman special privileges, and then he made it personal.

“One thing you the public need to know. I have received text messages from each and every one of them sitting up there asking for special privileges for your family members and special friends. I show you as evidence the text message I received from Councilman (Lindy) Bolgiano on March 2, 2023,” Boudreaux said, holding up pictures of screenshots from his phone.

He then read from the councilmember’s alleged text messages to him saying, “I don’t ever ask you to fix tickets anymore, but this is a good friend who has been helping his wife with her business and with her medical needs.”

Chief Boudreaux even turned it around on one council member, asking for their resignation.

“I just find it hypocritical for them to sit up there and attempt to judge me or her and play the fact that she got special privileges when she gets the exact same thing every single one of them have gotten and anyone in the public has gotten,” Boudreaux told News 10.

Many residents, however, questioned if that was true, saying Reaux looked drunk in the body camera video.

When asked why Reaux was not given a sobriety test, Boudreaux said: “That I can’t answer. I wasn’t there. A lot of times the officers have the discretion whether to cite them, whether to field sobriety test them, I don’t know. I have not talked to them as to why.”

Regardless of the accusations, the chief maintains his innocence, saying he in no way interfered with the officers’ investigation after the crash.

“I did nothing criminally, ethically, or morally wrong. I responded to a friend’s call for help. That’s it,” he said. “I welcome anybody to look into that incident that night and look for something I did wrong.”

The Youngsville City Council is moving forward with its investigation into the police chief. They’ll be hiring a law firm to do an independent investigation.

Meanwhile, the police chief says the city council does not have the power to remove him from office, saying that will have to be done by the people, either through a recall or an election.