HOMER, La. — The felony case involving Homer Police Chief Van McDaniel took another turn Monday after a joint motion led to the recusal of District Judge Walter May from presiding over the matter.

The motion was entered by attorney Chris Bowman, counsel for McDaniel, and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting the case.

McDaniel’s faces prosecution for aggravated battery and malfeasance in office, stemming from a November 2023 arrest and subsequent grand jury indictment.

This marks the second time a motion to recuse May has surfaced in the case. McDaniel’s attorney had filed a similar request in April 2024, though that motion was denied.

The trial, originally scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection, was postponed when May granted a joint motion on Friday to

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