BATON ROUGE - According to the Baton Rouge Police Department's database, the first three months of 2024 have been the deadliest in Baton Rouge in 25 years.

With 32 homicides since Jan. 1, it surpasses the first quarter of 2021 — otherwise known as the year with the most homicides on record. This time last year, the number was less than half of what it is now.

Blue bars represent homicide number for first quarter, Red bars are total homicides during year

Since midnight Monday — the official end of the first quarter — there have already been two additional homicides.

City leaders are acutely aware of the problem, giving a press conference about it just last week.

"I want the public to know that what we've been experiencing. In regards to shootings in our city, most have been very personal, highly targeted incidents," Chief T.J. Morse said.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, in lock-step with Morse, attributes the issue to a nationwide increase in gun violence.

"Let's not forget...We've been here before, and just as we have done before, we will drive down the crime stats once again," Broome said at the press conference March 25.

The response — approving $35K a week in overtime for officers to do proactive patrols, going to neighborhoods that are experiencing high levels of gun violence and trying to prevent shootings before they happen.

"We deploy people or resources to that area and their presence, or enforcement action actually quiets that area down," Captain Bill Clarida said.

One of those areas — the North Sherwood Forest area — has had five fatal shootings in as many weeks. The most recent on Easter morning. On Monday, there were at least two BRPD units patrolling those streets.

An 18-year-old, who only wanted to be known as 'Dante,' lives in this area. He says he's become accustomed to the violence.

"It's Baton Rouge. It's the usual. It's the same. It's constant. It ain't really nothing different. It's not really something you should be afraid of— it's something you need to be prepared for. If you was born and raised in Baton Rouge, you gon' go through that," he said.

BRPD say they have made 830 felony arrests this year — which is down about 17 percent from this time last year. They've also taken 365 guns off the streets — also down from last year by about five percent.

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BATON ROUGE - An attorney for an LSU student who was arrested along with three other people in the rape of Madison Brooks has filed a motion that claims a different LSU student caused Brooks injuries that were consistent with sexual assault. 

The motion, which was filed Monday by Casen Carver's lawyer, alleges that an unidentified LSU student — who is not named in the filing — had sex with Brooks the day before she died. The motion said that the unnamed student caused sexual injuries to Brooks that were used in evidence to arrest and indict the four men on rape charges. 

The motion says that the new testimony "will gut the State's theory of the case." 

District Attorney Hillar Moore said the filing was "totally inappropriate and not in accordance with the applicable rules of law."

On Tuesday, the DA's office filed its own motion to seal the records. Moore said Carver's motion violates the Louisiana Code of Evidence because it discusses a victim's past sexual behavior, which the code requires to be in documents kept separate and sealed. 

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NEW ROADS - The New Roads Police Chief resigned Tuesday morning after an internal review concluded that he had an inappropriate relationship with a female officer.

Police Chief Delaney Lee, who was chief for a little more than a year, turned in his resignation the morning before a meeting to discuss his dismissal.

During the New Roads City Council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Theron Smith cleared up details concerning rumors and expressed his disappointment with how Lee's employment with the police department ended.

"I'm weighted down with disappointed and sadness - disappointment on a professional level and sadness on a human level," Mayor Smith said. 

Mayor Smith spoke during the meeting on Tuesday and said a female officer reported her relationship to the assistant chief on Jan. 24. The woman told the assistant chief that the relationship ended in August 2023, but she felt she had to come forward to clear up rumors. 

The assistant chief filed a report with the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office. They determined no criminal charges should be filed. The investigation was then turned over to the mayor's office, where they started an internal review. During the investigation, Lee admitted he had two inappropriate relations with the officer, who said Lee never sexually or mentally harassed her. 

City Councilmember Kirk White say Lee was right in stepping down.

"Due diligence was done. I think from our part, the City of New Roads and the sheriff's department," White said. "I think it was handled properly."

Mayor Smith said both the officer and Lee expressed remorse over the situation. 

Assistant Police Chief James Johnson will step up as chief, during the search for a replacement chief.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit discovered Chief Delaney Lee did not disclose a 1996 misdemeanor charge for solicitation of a prostitute on his application for the job. Lee pleaded guilty, was fined and put on probation for a year. 

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HAMMOND - One week after the WBRZ Investigative Unit exclusively obtained body camera video from the Hammond officer involved shooting, excessive use of force experts shared their interpretation.

"This was a tough situation for these law enforcement officers no matter what. I'm making no definitive conclusions because I don't have all of the evidence, it's a dangerous job, they were in a dangerous situation," Dr. Wayne Thompson, a criminal justice professo at McNeese State University said.

Lionell Jackson was shot during a no-knock warrant in July. Thompson, a certified use of force expert, says he watched the body camera video several times from the day Jackson was shot.

"The reaction of the officer, the physical reaction, almost immediately after the gun is fired, like a reflex, not a conscious decision, was to jerk back like it was a surprise to him that the gun went off, so it looked to me like this was an accidental shooting," Thompson said.

He says the video raised several concerns. 

"We would have to believe at this point that the officer entered the room, identified the male, identified he had something in his hand, removed the gun from safe to semi, inserted a finger into the trigger guard, and pulled the trigger to make a head shot in a half a second. I can't do that, I've never seen a swat operator do it that quickly. I've never seen it before, in my experience, it exceeds in my training and experience, normal human reaction time to do that in that time," Thompson said.

Thompson also pointed out officers are usually trained to shoot a threat twice in the torso.

It's not the first time a use of excessive force expert has watched video involving officer Craig Dunn.  In 2017, Dunn, alongside now Police Chief Edwin Bergeron, is seen punching a handcuffed man in the booking room.

"There should have been some sort of disciplined levied against the officers involved," attorney Michael R. D. Adams, partner with DeCuir, Clark & Adams, L.L.P, said.

Adams was the attorney hired by the city council to make a recommendation on what to do then. He says the Lionell Jackson shooting is no surprise.

"There were red flags all over the place. It was really tragic an incident like this occurred, it probably did not need to happen," Adams said.

Thompson said he has faith that the FBI will extensively investigate. 

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BATON ROUGE - A warrant obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit shows just how far Louisiana State Police went to determine how their business was leaking out.

A search warrant was executed on Google to determine the account user that was sending emails out publicly from 9/30/21 until 2/26/22.

State Police wanted a list of all Google accounts associated with that user, device information, all IP connection logs, pictures, stored info in the Google Drive, search histories, billing histories and location data.

The email address belonged to Trooper Carl Cavalier. Cavalier was terminated from State Police following interviews that he did with the WBRZ Investigative Unit in June of 2021. State Police tried to settle with him for $200,000, but he declined.

On Tuesday, Cavalier told WBRZ he is shocked at what happened.

"You guys are committing a crime in my eyes,. covering up a crime," Cavalier said. "I'm putting the info out that the public has a right to know about. It's ridiculous to go to these lengths and violate me and the public trust to find something to shut me up."

Cavalier spoke to the WBRZ Investigative Unit about the death of Ronald Greene, unarmed Black man who died in State Police custody. Initially his family was told that he died in a crash, but chilling body camera video revealed he was brutally beaten.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit exposed a coverup from the very beginning which led to a complete overhaul of State Police.

"The baggage hasn't gone anywhere," Cavalier said. "We see that with by the things state police are claiming to input as far as policies they have enough policies to implement a decent agency but it's not being enforced."

WBRZ checked with State Police Tuesday. A spokesman said they are unsure why Google sent Cavalier that warrant this week and there is no active investigation into Cavalier.

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PLAQUEMINE- A grand jury in Iberville Parish has indicted the St. Gabriel police chief on a slew of charges including money laundering and malfeasance. 

The indictment Friday also includes counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering, theft of $25,000 or more, conspiracy to commit theft, and filing false public records. 

On Saturday, Kevin Ambeau and his wife Kalayn Brown turned themselves in at the Iberville Parish jail. The pair were booked and posted bond. 

Watch live newscasts here. 

Last summer, deputies raided the St. Gabriel Police Department and Chief Kevin Ambeau's home. They seized computers, laptops and phones.

At the time, investigators said the raid was connected to missing money from a double murder case. Turns out, the money was found after searching an area of the St. Gabriel Police Department's evidence room that was not combed over.

More recently, new allegations surfaced alleging a kickback scheme with a local business owner and Chief Ambeau.

Months after the raid took place, Ambeau maintained he did nothing wrong.

"I look at it as if they say $3,500 is missing, they have to get to the bottom of it," Ambeau said. "I'll cooperate with them, and I want the public to know I didn't put my hands on anything."

At the time, Ambeau said he welcomed any investigation.

"I wouldn't jeopardize my retirement and entire career for $3,500," Ambeau said. "I give that away here just helping people."

Attempts to reach Ambeau, the Mayor of St. Gabriel and the business owner implicated in the case were not successful Thursday evening.

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BATON ROUGE - Disgraced East Baton Rouge school employee Justin Broussard was taken into custody by East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies after turning himself in Tuesday following accusations that he was involved in inappropriate conduct with a student.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit was first to break the news of Broussard's arrest warrant over the weekend. Broussard was arrested on counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, computer-aided solicitation and obstruction of justice.

Two months ago, WBRZ was first to interview two different mothers who both alleged that Broussard groomed their sons. One pulled her child out of the school where he worked. The second wound up talking to Broussard himself and telling him to stay away from her son.

"I talked to Justin Broussard himself in 2022," one mom said. "I let him know I don't like what's going on between you and my son. He said he would leave my son alone, and he didn't."

Warrants show Broussard took the juvenile to get a tattoo without his mother's permission. He also demanded sexually explicit photos and videos from the teen, who complied according to detectives.

When the heat was turned up on Broussard, he wound up telling the juvenile to provide a false statement so he could stay out of trouble.

"Nobody believed my son," another mom said. "To be honest, they protected the adult more than they protected the child."

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NEW ORLEANS- The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ordered a convicted murderer to be released after saying his parole was improperly rescinded in 2017.

Watch live newscasts here.

Samuel Galbraith is a convicted rapist and murderer who detectives and a district attorney believe is the prime suspect in other murders.

In November 2016, the Parole Board approved his release, but after the WBRZ Investigative Unit exposed what was about to happen, Governor Edwards blocked the decision amid public outcry. The parole was rescinded because notification to the victim's family was not made properly.

Galbraith, a soldier at Fort Polk, killed Karen Hill in 1988. He was on the run for almost 10 years after her murder, until he was caught. The brutal nature of the crime brings seasoned detectives to tears.

Jesse McWilliams had no justice for almost a decade as her daughter's killer roamed free. Until Samuel Galbraith bragged to the wrong person who went to authorities. At the time Hill was murdered, retired District Attorney Asa Skinner was a young prosecutor.

"He told his friend that he had dreamed and had visions of going to a convenience store, getting a woman, kidnapping them, raping them and killing them to see what it felt like," Skinner said.

Before a trial was held, Galbraith pleaded guilty to raping Hill after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. He also pleaded guilty to her murder. Galbraith was sentenced to 71 years and told he needed to serve 85 percent of it.

With less than 1/3 of that sentence served, he could be a free man again.

The Director of Probation and Parole said they are exploring all legal options right now. In 2017, Galbraith was scheduled to be released to Texas. Any housing plan now would need approval from their department of corrections.

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PRAIRIEVILLE- A new development that's being built off Highway 73 in Ascension Parish is bringing with it concerns over flooding and traffic.

Watch live newscasts here

Delaune Estates is nearing the construction phase. The roads are all paved, and it appears workers could start building homes any day now. Plans show the subdivision that sits between Airline Highway and I-10 will feature more than 200 homes starting from around $320,000 and going up to $500,000.

Denise Mabile has lived in the Longwood subdivision for 14 years. It's adjacent to the new subdivision, and her house backs up to it. She said that she's concerned about the implications of having a large subdivision with roads that can barely handle the traffic volume now.

"I don't commute, but my husband and daughters do, and they leave an hour before school to skip traffic," Mabile said. "Otherwise you're sitting on Highway 73 for a long time."

Drainage is also an issue. Her backyard now has a three foot tall embankment where the new houses will be built. She said flooding is her biggest concern.

Aggie Canales is a Realtor. She said concerns are always valid when it comes to drainage. A home she has listed just went under contract that backs up to the new subdivision, but her buyers were not worried about it.

"You have to look into it and see what kind of drainage what they've put in and accounted for and plan accordingly," Canales said.

She said the explosion of growth and the push for new families to continue coming to Ascension shows the draw the area pulls.

"I chose to live in Ascension Parish," Canales said. "Great people, a lot of opportunity, the school system is fantastic. There are a lot of established subdivisions that are wonderful places to move and inventory is still on the low side in the market."

For Mabile, it goes beyond just building.

"We don't have forward thinking," Mabile said. "We aren't building infrastructure and thinking through it. From a traffic study, they did it during Covid when there weren't as many cars on the road and there was a mix of children in and out."

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The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday agreed to dismiss a complaint against a former Pointe Coupee Parish justice of the peace once dubbed a "ghost employee" and is letting him walk away without paying for the investigation.

The state's Judiciary Commission this summer recommended a 180-day suspension for J. Randy Guidroz, but he quit his post instead — stepping aside less than 12 hours after a WBRZ Investigative Unit report highlighted the commission's action.

Chief Justice John L. Weimer agreed with the decision to dismiss the case, but filed a two-page dissent saying Guidroz should have to pay for the investigation. The commission estimated the cost at about $1,600.

"While I agree this matter is properly dismissed, I dissent in part from the order granting dismissal because it does not include recovery of costs as moved for by the Judiciary Commission," Weimer wrote.

Guidroz was labeled a "ghost employee" after it appeared he remained on the Pointe Coupee Parish payroll despite there not being a record of his doing any work. WBRZ reported in 2020 that it appeared Guidroz had taken home $500,000 over a 12-year period.

In addition to being a full-time "intelligence officer" for the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office, Guidroz was also a justice of the peace subject to rules enforced by the Judiciary Commission. His holding dual offices also posed a problem: Louisiana Revised Statute 42:63 states, "No person holding an elective office in the government of this state shall at the same time hold another elective office, a full-time appointive office, or employment in the government of this state or in the government of a political subdivision thereof."

The commission said that, "by acting as an intelligence officer tasked with covertly gathering information on the very same constituents whom he had been elected to serve as a Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Peace Guidroz blurred the line between the judiciary and law enforcement and created an ethically impermissible appearance of impropriety and partiality."

The commission also said Guidroz didn't disclose his sheriff's office employment when asked about it directly.

After Guidroz failed to appear before a Sept. 7 hearing before the court, justices were poised to rule against him but Guidroz quit before that could happen.

"Because Justice of the Peace Guidroz resigned before this court rendered a final decision, this court has no choice but to dismiss this proceeding based on the motion filed by the Judiciary Commission," Weimer wrote. 

"It is disappointing that Justice of the Peace Guidroz chose to resign only after the Judiciary Commission and this court expended time, effort and energy evaluating this matter," the chief justice said. "Avoiding discipline by resignation that late in the proceeding should not be rewarded, and former Justice of the Peace Guidroz, not taxpayers, should be responsible for the costs."

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CARVILLE- The shooting of an 8-year-old last week has authorities in St. Gabriel working with Ascension Parish law enforcement after the brother of that child was shot two days later at a Popeyes in Dutchtown.

The brother is 15 years old. Both children are expected to survive.

Stream live newscasts here

The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said it arrested a 17-year-old who is accused of the shooting. However, deputies did not release any other details due to the suspect's age.

Casanova Redd lives close to where the child was shot.

"Word on the street is it's a bunch of kids," Redd said. "Kids shooting at kids."

Two days after the child was shot in Carville, another shooting erupted at the Popeyes in Dutchtown. A 15-year old was shot, and detectives determined that he is the brother of the child who was shot in Carville.

"It was a blessing that this kid is going to be alright," Redd said. "Next time, who knows?"

Evidence was submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab to see if there are any connections. At this time, it appears that a different gun was used in the shooting of the child and the teen.

"Bullets don't have a name," Redd said. "It may seem isolated, but who can say next time it won't go in there or there. Someone who has nothing to do with this here."

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BATON ROUGE- A Louisiana State Trooper who was convicted of obstruction of justice after shooting a man in the back had her record expunged.

Watch live report at 6 p.m.

The shooting happened in July of 2018, but Kasha Domingue was not formally charged with a crime until late 2020. She was fired from Louisiana State Police in 2021, about five months after her indictment on charges of illegal use of a weapon and aggravated second-degree battery. The shooting left Clifton Dilley paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.

Last year, Domingue pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor. Domingue received six months on probation and must agree to never take on a law enforcement job again.

With her charges being expunged, many are wondering if that same agreement still applies.

District Attorney Hillar Moore said he could not discuss it due to the expungement. However, Domingue agreed to give up her POST certification. The Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement has a notation in her file showing it was surrendered.

All of this is coming to light, after Domingue appeared before the Louisiana State Police Commission last week. Robert Burns with Soundoff Louisiana filmed her saying this.

"The charges against me were dropped for aggravated second degree battery and illegal use of a weapon," Domingue told commissioners. "I admitted to obstruction, which is a misdemeanor, which has also been dismissed."

The night Domingue shot Dilley, she used her taser hours before on a different call.

Domingue's lawyer, Tommy Dewey, said she has no interest in ever working for law enforcement again.

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BATON ROUGE - Seven weeks after an Investigative Unit report about a child left covered in feces, the principal at the Dufrocq School has left the job.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board confirms that Ariane St. Julien is no longer with the school. The school issued a statement saying St. Julien was reassigned as principal on assignment, and that Dufrocq Assistant Principal Courtney Turner was named interim principal for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.

Additionally, Kelly Washington, a Montessori specialist at Belfair, will transition to assistant principal at Dufrocq to strengthen Montessori guidance within the school, according to the school.

In August, the mother of a two-year-old enrolled in Dufrocq's pre-k program revealed to the Investigative Unit that her child had a bathroom accident at school and was left in his soiled clothes.

The Louisiana Department of Education issued two citations and two warnings to Dufrocq in August. The citations were in regards to improper training and orientation, and for failing to clean a child after a toileting accident.

The two LDOE warnings were for "non-vehicular excursions" and "items that can be harmful to children."

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BATON ROUGE - A Department of Children and Family Services Child Welfare Specialist said she was terminated last week after telling higher-ups about problems she was witnessing and documented them in emails.

Watch live newscasts here

Dr. Monica Fabre is the President of the NAACP chapter in Pointe Coupee Parish. She said over the summer she accepted a job with DCFS in hopes that she could make a positive change. She said she began noticing problems at the agency almost immediately, and when she tried to get answers about things, she was sent packing.

"Refuse to be silent, that's what I say to DCFS," Dr. Fabre said. "I refuse to be silent."

Recently, she said a child was released back to the home where a fentanyl exposure happened.

"Children are dying," Fabre said. "An infant was just sent home last week or the week before that was still shaking from the fentanyl in this baby's body. And that baby was sent back to the home of that parent who was responsible for that child getting hold to fentanyl."

It's a shocking claim by Fabre who worked at the DCFS office off of South Ardenwood in Baton Rouge. It's shocking because last year CPS had two children die on their watch who were exposed to fentanyl. Secretary of DCFS Marketa Walters resigned after months of scrutiny over a series of missteps at the agency.

That controversy led to a complete overhaul at the top of DCFS.

"Just because you change the guard, if you don't change your intent you're not doing anything," Fabre said.

WBRZ asked DCFS about that specific case after Fabre provided the name of the child and what was DCFS' reasoning.

"You all sent this baby back to the mother who exposed it to fentanyl," Fabre said. "The response was, 'We don't get our way all of the time.' Now, that baby is in the home with the mother who is an active drug user."

Fabre said DCFS terminated her, saying she was still on probation and they were executing their window to part ways with her. It's happening as she says there is a backlog of 150 cases.

"I would like to say to them, stop lying to the public," Fabre said.

DCFS said they would provide a statement for this report. A spokeswoman issued the following statement:

While the Department cannot discuss individual personnel matters or specific cases, we do take the allegations seriously and will immediately look into and address these concerns.

We would like to remind you that the law (R.S. 46:56) prohibits the release of any confidential information, including names, findings, case outcomes or any other specific case information.

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UPDATE: The WBRZ Investigative Unit learned Tuesday that District Attorneys and the Attorney General have reached an agreement with the Board of Pardons. Tuesday, Judge Don Johnson dismissed multiple lawsuits tied to the death row clemency hearings at their request. 

Lawyers representing the inmates said they would appeal. 

"We've now been put in a position that is contrary to the board," Lawyer Michael Arata said. "So the intervenors who are seeking clemency are now having to be opposed to the people they are seeking clemency for. That is the direct result of the confusion and conflicts that have arisen by one party being a plaintiff and telling another party who their lawyer is going to be."

District Attorneys from around the state said this was a win for the victims families.

"This has opened the wounds for these family members, the phone calls last night and today were horrible to have to sit there and listen to and explain the process," District Attorney Hillar Moore said. "What do you mean there's another chance? It's disheartening. This isn't about life and death but it's about those brutally killed across the state."

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BATON ROUGE - Sources have confirmed to the WBRZ Investigative Unit that a settlement is close to being reached between the Board of Pardons and prosecutors from across the state of Louisiana.

Sources said the deal would mean most of the more than 50 death row inmates at Angola would be ineligible for clemency hearings. Sources said some numbers being tossed around would limit the number of those eligible to less than 10.

The situation reached a stalemate over the summer when a request was made by Governor John Bel Edwards, who cited his pro-life stance as a reason for why he wanted the inmates on death row to have their sentences converted to life without parole.

District attorneys around the state and the Louisiana District Attorneys Association came out against it immediately.

"It is crazy to think that a process that takes a year for an individual case, we could put 56 in the system and get a result within four months and anyone would have confidence in those results," LDAA President Loren Lampert said.

Last month, a number of district attorneys and victims gathered in Baton Rouge to announce their opposition to the proposal. Warrick Dunn, the son of murdered Baton Rouge Police Officer Betty Smothers was at the courthouse standing in unison with the district attorneys.

"It shouldn't be about this," Dunn said. "It should be about doing the right thing, and the right thing is to make sure those guys don't have the opportunity to get out. They should not be allowed period."

More details are expected to be released this week. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.

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BATON ROUGE – Several Baton Rouge police officers, including the second-highest ranking in the department, are facing criminal charges over allegations of misconduct and an ensuing cover-up.

Deputy Chief Troy Lawrence and officers Jesse Barcelona and Todd Thomas surrendered Thursday afternoon. The WBRZ Investigative Unit reported earlier this week that each had been placed on administrative leave.

A fourth officer, Doug Chutz, was out of town last week and was booked into jail on Monday. He was released on bond later Monday evening. His bond was set at $15,000.

Sources told WBRZ News 2 that the investigation began on Aug. 30, 2023, when a whistleblower spoke up about the incident three years earlier. It involved a suspect who was strip searched and beaten on Plank Road.

Read more details on the investigation here

When one of the Baton Rouge Police officers used his Taser, it activated his body worn camera. During the encounter, the suspect was not compliant, and one of the officers allegedly struck the suspect.

The body camera was reviewed, the Investigative Unit has learned, and that officer was instructed to get rid of it. A document was fabricated saying it was lost.

Lawrence, Barcelona, and Thomas were booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Thursday afternoon. All had bonds set at $30,000 and have since been released.

Charges against Lawrence include Malfeasance, Obstruction, Theft and Principal to Battery.

Barcelona is charged with Principal to Theft and Obstruction and Malfeasance.

Thomas is charged with Simple Battery, Theft and Malfeasance and Obstruction.

Chutz is charged with Malfeasance.

Lawrence's son, who is also an officer, was arrested last week for unrelated concerns.

The newly disclosed incident is not related to the Brave Cave — an alleged torture warehouse that came to light a month ago when lawyer Ryan Thompson filed a lawsuit alleging his client's civil rights were violated.

Following the filing of that lawsuit, Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul asked the FBI to assist in the investigation. In a very rare move Friday, the FBI confirmed it is investigating, along with the federal civil rights division.

The FBI typically shies away from confirming the existence of any investigation — usually saying they cannot confirm or deny the existence of one.

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NEW ROADS- Pointe Coupee Parish Justice of the Peace Randy Guidroz submitted his resignation to the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office and the Louisiana Judiciary Commission on Tuesday.

It came less than 12 hours after a WBRZ Investigative Unit report highlighting a recommendation by the Commission to suspend Guidroz for 180 days without pay. The Commission referenced the WBRZ Investigative Unit stories in their findings.

Randy Guidroz collected more than $500,000 over a 12-year span and there was no proof that he did any work.

In addition to being a full-time "intelligence officer" for the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office, the WBRZ Investigative Unit also found Guidroz was an elected official. He was a Justice of the Peace in the parish.

The state's dual office holding laws say Guidroz should have never been allowed to do both jobs.

Louisiana Revised Statute 42:63 states, "No person holding an elective office in the government of this state shall at the same time hold another elective office, a full-time appointive office, or employment in the government of this state or in the government of a political subdivision thereof."

Guidroz resigned Tuesday as the WBRZ Investigative Unit was looking into allegations of even more impropriety.

Videos obtained by WBRZ showed Guidroz at the campaign building of La. State Representative Jeremy Lacombe. Lacombe told WBRZ on the phone they are friends, and said he had never hired him.

Campaign finance reports that Lacombe filed with the State Ethics Board show on two different occasions Lacombe hired Guidroz for a catering event. A third miscellaneous payment to him for $700 was not noted with a reason. Lacombe said it was also for catering, but did not have a reason why nothing was noted next to that payment.

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UPDATE: Hours after this report was published Monday night, Randy Guidroz submitted his resignation to the Secretary of State and the La. Judiciary Commission. His resignation comes after a 12-year span in which there was no evidence he ever did any work for the sheriff's office and collected over half a million dollars in paychecks. 

See Guidroz's resignation letter here:

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NEW ORLEANS - Years after the WBRZ Investigative Unit exposed a ghost employee who was left on the payroll despite no record of doing any work, the Louisiana State Supreme Court heard a recommendation this month from the Judiciary Commission to suspend him.

The justices will make a determination and release their findings at a later date.

Randy Guidroz collected more than $500,000 over a 12-year span and there was no proof that he did any work.

In addition to being a full-time "intelligence officer" for the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office, the WBRZ Investigative Unit also found Guidroz is an elected official. He is a Justice of the Peace in the parish.

The state's dual office holding laws may pose big problems.

Louisiana Revised Statute 42:63 states, "No person holding an elective office in the government of this state shall at the same time hold another elective office, a full-time appointive office, or employment in the government of this state or in the government of a political subdivision thereof."

Questions are being raised about whether Guidroz broke the law. An Attorney General Opinion issued in 1991 addresses whether a justice of the peace can work as a full-time deputy sheriff.

"Holding a full-time position as deputy sheriff would be prohibited by RS 42:63," the opinion reads.

The Louisiana Judiciary Commission determined "...by acting as an intelligence officer tasked with covertly gathering information on the very same constituents whom he had been elected to serve as a Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Peace Guidroz blurred the line between the judiciary and law enforcement and created an ethically impermissible appearance of impropriety and partiality."

The Commission also noted there were issues with his truthfulness.

"JP Guidroz failed to disclose his active employment with the sheriff's office when directly asked, under oath at a sworn statement, where he was employed. While he later acknowledged the employment following media reports exposing it, he could not provide cogent testimony as to why he believed he did not previously have to disclose it to the commission."

The Commission recommended that Guidroz pay a nearly $1,600 fine for costs the commission incurred by doing this investigation. It also recommended a 180 day unpaid suspension.

Justices heard the recommendations on Sept. 7, 2023. Their decision will be rendered at a later date.

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BATON ROUGE - A former Baton Rouge police officer with a history of excessive force complaints was arrested over allegations that he tased a suspect in handcuffs. 

Sources told the WBRZ Investigative Unit that Troy Lawrence Jr., 26, was issued a summons for simple battery Wednesday. The charge stems from an incident involving a suspect back in August, weeks before his resignation from BRPD. 

It happened Aug. 8 during a narcotics investigation involving BRPD's Street Crimes unit. A statement from BRPD said Lawrence "dry stunned" a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police unit before that person had a chance to comply with his commands. 

The charge is unrelated to the ongoing "Brave Cave" lawsuit, which alleges Lawrence and other members of BRPD's now-defunct Street Crimes unit physically abused suspects inside of a makeshift interrogation facility. 

The Street Crimes unit was disbanded last month as police began a criminal investigation into the Brave Cave allegations, and Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto reported Tuesday that two officers with ties to the unit were placed on administrative leave. 

WBRZ has reported on Lawrence's history of complaints, stemming from claims he used excessive force on the job. Those complaints have led to legal settlements costing the city tens of thousands of dollars.

In late August, BRPD Chief Murphy Paul said the department started Lawrence's termination process after receiving the latest complaint, but Lawrence resigned before he could be formally terminated. 

BRPD put out the following statement after WBRZ reported on his arrest Thursday. 

Baton Rouge Police arrested former BRPD Officer TROY LAWRENCE JR, 26, for an incident that occurred on August 8, 2023 around 8:53pm at 6305 Airline Hwy. Baton Rouge Police Detectives reviewed departmental body camera footage that showed a handcuffed subject, as he sat in the rear seat of the patrol car, being dry stunned by a department issued taser without giving the subject an opportunity to comply to verbal commands.

Lawrence was issued a misdemeanor summons for Simple Battery on September 20, 2023 and released.

This is an ongoing investigation.

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ZACHARY - The man whose complaint led to the arrest of a notable public official earlier this week says he's still being blackmailed by him.

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Brandon Williams — the chairman of the Municipal Police and Fire Civil Service Board — was arrested this week, accused of contractor fraud. Investigators said he took $600,000 from the victim, but left him high and dry. That victim had to hire another contractor to come in and complete the job.

That victim identified himself as Scott Campbell. Campbell said even though they have had to hire other contractors to do the work that Williams should have done, he is holding on to a lien waiver that is preventing them from closing on the property.

Campbell said they contracted with Williams to build their dream home in December 2021. The house was supposed to take a year to build. Today it sits in various states of disrepair with numerous things that have been left unfinished.

"We had no idea as the project went along that the money was not going to the other contractors or being spent where it should," Campbell said. "The project was moving slow as long as it inched along. I was willing to keep dumping more money into the project."

Campbell said he became suspicious after continuing to pay Williams, but contractors stopped showing up for work.

"The ongoing thing is, 'they will be there tomorrow,'" Campbell said. "'They will be there tomorrow.' When it comes to Thursday or Friday, 'they will be there Monday.' And it starts all over again."

Campbell said Williams left his house with missing molding. They had to hire a plumber and electrician to redo work that should have been completed correctly, but they found out that unlicensed contractors had been doing the work.

"We asked Brandon to show us where the money went and he refused," Campbell said. "He refused to show us where the money went."

Williams was first nominated to the board by LSU in 2019. He was removed from the board after a discrepancy was discovered with his address, but he was placed back on the board by the metro council.

Williams is also facing a separate felony theft arrest that he's scheduled to go to trial for in December.

When reached by phone this week, Williams said he has no intention of stepping down from the two boards that he serves on. In addition to the Municipal Police and Fire Civil Service Board, he also serves on the Louisiana Housing Corporation Board.

Williams is currently locked in a legal battle with city-parish attorneys, who argue he's illegally holding multiple seats in public office. 

"That's his ego," Campbell said. "From what I gather, he's very narcissistic. I know he's not going to step down or admit to any wrongdoing. That's just who Brandon is."

WBRZ reached out to Williams' lawyer. He declined to comment.

Williams posted a $10,000 bond and was released.

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