WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH - The man in charge of an "illegal" school zone ticketing program in the Brusly and Addis area has resigned from the elected position.

Ward 2 Constable Ron Tetzel, under Justice of the Peace Thomas Southon, ran a radar gun in school zones along LA-1 and issued speeding tickets through the mail. The constable sent out more than 4,000 tickets over two weeks.

Tetzel left the position in March, about four months after Attorney General Liz Murrill shut down the operation, claiming it was illegal. 

The WBRZ Investigative Unit obtained a copy of Tetzel's fiery resignation letter in which he blasts Murrill and Senator Caleb Kleinpeter, saying the thought of working for them makes him "nauseated".

He also refers to them as "self-important, unaccountable, soundbite-obsessed officials."

In the letter, Tetzel claims he had no support as a constable, earned only $380 a month, and had to use his personal car and weapon on the job. He said, "in an effort to evolve this office and position from a half-baked 'Mayberry' operation," he and Southon came up with the traffic enforcement program, which would provide funding for the office and some money for the school district.

To read the full letter, click here. 

Tetzel claims the AG's civil division approved it.

Only about 30 people actually paid the tickets and they have all since been reimbursed.

WBRZ previously reported the Justice of the Peace's office was on the hook for about $90,000 owed to the camera company — Emergent — from those unpaid tickets. According to Tetzel and Southon, that debt was absolved.

Tetzel's resignation opened the door for a special election to fill the position, which will take place in October.

At the end of his resignation letter, Tetzel wrote, "I wish my successor luck, because he or she will need it."

The two candidates who qualified last week are Justice of the Peace Thomas Southon's wife, Amanda Southon, and Duane Vince. A third candidate withdrew. 

AG Murrill responded to the letter in a statement sent to WBRZ, saying "The Legislature establishes the duties and responsibilities of a constable, and limits on their authority. If this individual does not wish to work as a constable, then resigning is appropriate. At no time did the constable receive advice or approval to conduct speed enforcement work as a self-funding measure for his office.”