BAKER - An appeals court on Thursday upheld a judge's ruling reinstating a fired Baker Police officer, saying the department violated the officer's rights during the disciplinary process.

Adam Procell was fired in 2017 after he was accused of trying to cover up details of a shots-fired call involving Benjamin Gautreaux, East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux's son. A disciplinary appeals board upheld the termination and Procell appealed to the 19th Judicial District Court.

State District Judge Mike Caldwell reversed the board's decision in August 2019 and ordered Procell reinstated with back pay.

Baker Police and the Baker Police Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board then appealed to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

That court on Thursday agreed with Caldwell's ruling that a notice telling Procell which policy he was accused of violating before a pre-diciplinary hearing did not contain the information legally required.

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