WBRZ - Baton Rouge

A motion from the mother of current New Roads Mayor Tommy Nelson to throw out his competition in the upcoming race was denied by a judge Tuesday morning.

Rosetta Nelson claims Robert Myers qualified to run for mayor fraudulently in early July by not filling paperwork out properly. For a candidate to be expunged from a race, Judge Robin Free explained to Nelson the qualification must be contested within seven days of filing. Nelson did not file the petition to remove Myers from the race until August 26, nearly seven weeks later. In court, Nelson insisted she had documentation to prove Myers was guilty of the crime of fraudulently qualifying.

"The proof is in the pudding!" Nelson told the judge repeatedly, maintaining because she was accusing Myers of a crime, he should not be allowed to run.

"Are you sure you want to argue that?" Judge Free asked Nelson multiple times, to which she answered, "Yes."

Nelson's son was indicted earlier this year on racketeering and fraud charges. After the judge's decision, Nelson continued to tell the judge her son is innocent, but Myers should be prosecuted. Free told Nelson that is a matter to take up with the district attorney.

"If Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, came to New Roads and qualified for mayor, and no one contested it for seven days, there's nothing I could do about it," said Free.

Myers described the two and a half hours in court as a waste of time and taxpayer money. Nelson plans to appeal the ruling.