BATON ROUGE — East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Superintendent LaMont Cole has been formally charged by a grand jury amid a wider corruption probe into the city-parish government, The Advocate reports.

Reports of Cole's indictment broke Wednesday. The exact charges Cole, 52, faces were not immediately clear. 

The Advocate report notes that, according to dates provided in the indictment, Cole is accused of committing crimes while he was Mayor Pro Tempore — the leader of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council.

Cole is the latest city-parish official to come under fire as part of the grand jury's probe into corruption involving the Capital Area Transit System and multiple mayor's office initiatives, including councilman Cleve Dunn Jr., former mayoral aide Courtney Scott and former CATS Chief Administrative Officer Pearlina Thomas.

"During this time, we encourage everyone to remain calm, avoid speculation, and allow the appropriate processes to move forward," a spokesperson for the school district said in a statement following reports of the investigation into Cole. "Our focus remains on what matters most. We will continue serving our students, supporting one another, and continuing the important work happening in our schools and departments each day."

WBRZ has reached out to the AG's office to learn more about their investigation into Cole.