BATON ROUGE — East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore on Wednesday afternoon released a statement addressing what he says are concerns raised from a photograph at a recent event.

Saying he wanted to address concerns directly, Moore in a prepared statement said he had never met the individuals pictured with him and did not know who they were or their connection to a pending case with his office when the photograph was taken.

It’s currently unclear who Moore took a photo with or exactly where—Moore was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon—but Moore emphasizes in his statement that racism and intimidation have no place in East Baton Rouge Parish.

His office has not offered a plea deal in this case and is prosecuting the case to the fullest extent of the law, he says.

In his statement, Moore writes that he does not publicly discuss details of pending prosecutions, and that no photograph, political affiliation or personal relationship has ever influenced how his office handles cases.

“As district attorney, I attend events throughout our parish and meet thousands of people nearly every week,” Moore writes. “Taking a photograph with someone does not mean I know or endorse them.

“The allegations in this case are serious, and my Office is treating them with the seriousness they deserve. Our responsibility is to seek justice for the victim, and that commitment has not changed.”