Officer Logan McDonald Arrested for Malfeasance in Office

A Shreveport police officer placed on administrative leave last month has been arrested on an outstanding warrant by Shreveport Police detectives Tuesday afternoon.

Logan McDonald 30, was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on an outstanding warrant charging him with a single count of Malfeasance in office.

The rules and regulations of the Shreveport Fire and Police Municipal Civil Service Board mandate that, “When an employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be immediately relieved of duty and placed on "departmental leave" for up to one week at full pay and with continuing seniority.”

Bond in the matter has been set at $1,000.00

Former Officer Walter Urena Incest Conviction Upheld

The Louisiana 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal has affirmed the incest convictions of a retired Alexandria police officer, but it ordered a review of part of his sentencing.

Walter Urena, 66, was found guilty on five of six counts of aggravated incest in a jury trial in 2013. He was sentenced to two consecutive 20-year terms and three concurrent 10-year prison terms.

Urena, who was arrested in July 2011, appealed the convictions and the sentences on the grounds of insufficient evidence and that the two 20-year sentences were excessive.

On May 7, the appellate court sent the case back to the trial court to reconsider the consecutive 20-year sentences.

According to the appellate court’s opinion, written by Judge Billy Howard Ezell, Urena “is not one of the worst of offenders when it comes to child sexual abuse.”

The opinion also states that “while the victim in the current case was a minor, five or six when the abuse began, it did not escalate from touching and ended when the victim told him to stop. Without sufficient justification, we find that the two consecutive sentences totaling forty years is nothing more than cruel and unusual punishment.”

Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Monique Metoyer prosecuted the case.

She said prosecuting a public figure, such as a former police officer, carries with it a different level of expectations.

“There’s a level of disappointment you don’t have otherwise,” she said. “It’s almost incomprehensible. You think you know someone, and you don’t. It’s a total violation, and it’s a selfish, selfish act.”

Officer Bradley Wax Arrested for Child Porn

A New Orleans police officer has been arrested and booked under allegations of possessing child pornography.

According to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, Bradley Wax, 54, has been arrested and charged with 38 counts of possessing pornography involving juveniles.

Wax, a 16-year veteran assigned to the New Orleans Police Department's 4th District, was arrested in St. Tammany and has been booked in the St. Tammany Parish jail.

According to the attorney general's office, an undercover operation led investigators to securing a search warrant on Wax's home in January. After searching his computer and other electronic devices, investigators found Wax had child pornography.

The NOPD has placed Wax on emergency suspension without pay pending the outcome of an ongoing criminal investigation. He faces 20 years in prison on each count of child pornography.

The case was a joint investigation by the attorney general's cyber crimes unit, the St. Tammany Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Chief Mikel White and Officer Gregory Armstead Arrested on Several Felony Charges

A Louisiana police chief and an officer are now on the other side of the law.

Louisiana State Police arrested Lecompte police chief Mikel White and officer Gregory Armstead on several felony charges Friday.

According to state police, a man says the pair came to his home in March -- and threatened to hurt him if he didn't pay back a personal loan.

He says White threatened to arrest him for theft, and on his orders, Armstead took him into custody.

The man was later released without being charged.

According to state police, the whole thing was caught on camera.

Both the chief and the officer are charged with malfeasance in office and false imprisonment.

Additionally, the chief is charged with extortion.

Both are held on a $500,000 bond each.

Sgt. Charles Miller Arrested After High Speed Chase

A New Orleans police officer was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly refused to wait for an officer to issue him traffic citations, and instead snatched his driver’s license and documents from the officer and fled the scene.

Investigators said an officer pulled over 26-year veteran Sgt. Charles Miller Thursday about 8 p.m.

Police said Miller was speeding on US 90-B near Claiborne Avenue.

The truck Miller was driving didn't have a license plate either, police said.

Miller took the St. Charles Avenue exit, and pulled over for the officer at Calliope Street and St. Charles. He allegedly turned over his driver’s license and registration to the officer, but minutes later, snatched his items back from the officer, which injured her wrist, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Detectives said Miller sped off in his truck and led the officer on a high-speed chase.

During the chase Miller ran a stop sign, drove through a red light, drove at speeds near 90 miles per hour and committed other traffic violations.

The officer stopped pursuing Miller because she believed the chase was a serious threat to the public’s safety, investigators said.

Miller turned himself in to authorities on Friday at the Public Integrity Bureau.

He was booked on charges of speeding, no license plate, expired driver’s license, battery on an officer, aggravated flight from an officer, disregarding a stop sign, disregarding a red light and reckless operation of a vehicle.

He was placed on emergency suspension without pay.

Corporal Alvin Harvey Charged with Theft

A Shreveport Police officer finds himself on the other side of the law.

Back in January, Shreveport Police Department administrators conducting routine audits of fuel management logs discovered inconsistencies relative to gasoline purchased on the police department's account. Chief of Police, Willie Shaw, was notified and immediately ordered a criminal investigation into the matter.

Based on information and evidence gathered during that process, Shreveport Police detectives assigned to the Caddo-Shreveport White Collar Crimes Task Force obtained an arrest warrant charging Corporal Alvin Harvey, 35, with a single count of misdemeanor theft. Harvey surrendered to authorities at the Caddo Correctional Center Friday evening.

Harvey, who joined the department in March of 2004, was initially placed on paid administrative leave back on February 7, 2014 amid the ongoing inquiry in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Shreveport Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board which states: "When an employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be immediately relieved of duty and placed on "departmental leave" for up to one week at full pay and with continuing seniority".

Animal Control Officer Eva Wise Arrested for Animal Cruelty

Former Winnfield Animal Control Officer Eva Wise was arrested Friday for the charge of animal cruelty.

It all started at her former home off of Highway 1229 in Atlanta, Louisiana, a property she'd been renting since May 2013.

"She had said that she had recently gone to work for the city working as an animal control officer, so we were aware of that. She had a job so she could pay the rent," Johnson said.

The property's owner, Jennifer Johnson, said Wise had stopped paying rent by October 2013 and they were preparing to evict her when they got a call from the local humane society, the Heart of Louisiana Humane Society in Winnfield.

"They told me they had an issue for animal cruelty on our property. They had went to check it out but they needed my permission to go on our property," said Johnson.

The president of the humane society, Shonna Moss, told KTVE/KARD they received word about dying dogs from neighbors.

Moss said she personally saw 7 dogs chained with no food or water on the property.

Two others were dead.
The humane society said eight dogs and a litter of puppies were also found under another property just a mile away.

What Johnson said she saw paints an even worse picture.

"There was one laying almost dead in the yard and another puppy in equally bad shape. Out back there was an old chicken pen where the door had been fixed and shut where they couldn't get out and there was two skeletons in that pen," she said.

Johnson said she asked Wise - Why?

"She just said that she couldn't hardly afford to feed herself, much less the animals and she had said that she had told some of her husband's family they needed to come get the dogs because she had apparently up and left and this had been for several weeks," said Johnson.

Of all those dogs, only two survived.

The property was cleaned up with a new tenant living there by last December.

Wise now awaits trial, currently in jail on $100,000 bond.

The question remains: Why was Wise just arrested last Friday when the humane society said all this happened last October?

Law enforcement wouldn't tell KTVE/KARD, saying they didn't want to hurt the prosecution's case.

There is some good news about the last two surviving dogs.

Moss said one of the dogs, a german shepherd named "Kassi" currently has an adoption pending.

The other dog is also in a foster home and is available for adoption.
For more information on adoption, click here.

Officer Michael Thomassie Charged with Aggravated Rape

A veteran New Orleans police officer has surrendered to police following an indictment for aggravated rape.

He is in custody in Orleans Parish prison and is being held without bond.

According to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, the warrant was issued for 12-year-veteran officer Michael Thomassie after he was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on a single count of aggravated rape.

The allegation dates back to 2004 and 2005 when the alleged victim in the case was between 7 and 9 years of age, according to a spokesman for the office.

Thomassie is a 12-year veteran of the department. He was most recently assigned to desk duty in the 4th District.

Officer Clint Reed Arrested for Malfeasance in Office

On February 3, 2014, investigators with the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations arrested a Lake Providence police officer for one count of malfeasance in office. The arrest is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations, the East Carroll Sheriff's Office and the Lake Providence Police Department.

An Arkansas resident advised investigators that he was traveling through Lake Providence and was stopped by a Lake Providence police officer for speeding. The Arkansas resident advised investigators that the Lake Providence police officer requested $50 from the driver in lieu of issuing a citation.

Investigators arrested Clint Reed, 51-years-old of Lake Providence, for one count of malfeasance in office. Reed confessed to investigators during questioning that he requested and took $50 dollars instead of issuing the citation.

Reed faces up to a $5,000 fine and 5 years in prison if convicted.

The Louisiana State Police on-line reporting system is available to the public through a secure reporting form that is submitted to investigators. Citizens can access the form by visiting www.lsp.org and clicking the suspicious activity link.

Officer Patrick Williams Arrested for Worthless Checks

A Shreveport police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest on a felony charge of issuing worthless checks.

According to the Shreveport Police Department, 23-year-old Patrick Williams was arrested Tuesday as a fugitive on an outstanding warrant obtained by the Bossier Parish District Attorney's Office.

Williams joined the Shreveport Police Department in July 2012.

In a brief statement released Tuesday afternoon regarding the arrest, Chief of Police Willie Shaw placed Williams on leave "as required by the rules and regulations of the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board which states: 'When an employee is charged with a felony he shall, and if a misdemeanor he may, be immediately relieved of duty and placed on "departmental leave' for up to one week at full pay and with continuing seniority."

Williams was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center.

Officer Calvin Aaron Jr Arrested for Sexting with Juvenile

Investigators from the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations/Alexandria Field Office arrested Zwolle Police Officer Calvin L. Aaron Jr., 33, of Zwolle, LA, Wednesday.

Aaron Jr. is accused of pornography involving juveniles, indecent behavior with juveniles, obstruction of justice, and malfeasance in office.

In July 2013, Louisiana State Police received information and a request from the Sabine Parish Sheriff's Office in reference to investigating alleged inappropriate conduct and behavior that was/is sexual in nature, between a Zwolle Police Officer and a juvenile.

The investigation revealed that Aaron Jr. and a female juvenile (16 yrs) were using cell phones to transmit sexually explicit and/or lewd images of each other to one another.

The investigation also revealed that Aaron Jr. had engaged in indecent behavior with the juvenile and attempted to destroy evidence of their activities after knowing that an investigation into the matter had begun.

Wednesday, Aaron Jr. was arrested and booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center on the above listed charges.

Officer Robert Barthelemy Arrested for Kidnapping

Authorities in central Louisiana have spent the weekend searching for a man they believe was kidnapped from his home at gunpoint by a Natchitoches police officer.

Twenty-five year-old Tony Procell has been missing for almost a week.

The Shreveport Times reports that security video at Procell's mobile home showed Natchitoches police Officer Robert Barthelemy leading Procell out at gunpoint last Tuesday.

Barthelemy was booked Wednesday with aggravated kidnapping and home invasion. Bond has not been set.

Defense attorney Brian McRae did not immediately return a call and an email Sunday.

Search crews have been looking in Sabine, DeSoto and Natchitoches parishes.

Officer Ryan Robinson Arrested for theft

A Shreveport police officer was arrested for misdemeanor theft and malfeasance in office Friday for allegedly stealing property during the execution of a search warrant. Ryan Robinson, 28, is accused of stealing a ceremonial American flag during a search warrant executed by the joint Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics Task Force at a Vivian, Louisiana home back in August of 2010. Caddo Parish Sheriff, Steve Prator said the flag was not an object of the search, nor was it listed as seized property on the warrant. It was recently recovered by the Shreveport Police Department and turned over to sheriff's investigators. Robinson has been placed on administrative leave by Shreveport Police Chief, Willie Shaw.

Officer David Pizzolato Arrested for Illegally Recording Girlfriend

A former employee of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office was arrested today for illegally recording his ex-girlfriend.

David Pizzolato Jr., 41, was employed with the Sheriff’s Office for the past 16 years and was a Sergeant serving in the traffic division. He has also worked in uniform patrol.

According to reports, Pizzolato allegedly entered his ex-girlfriend’s home and hid a digital recording device on the headboard above her bed in early January of 2012.

He then allegedly entered the home on at least eight different occasions to listen to and test the device.

The victim contacted the Sheriff’s Office on February 17th to file a complaint, but did not want to press charges or for the accused to lose his job. The same day the accused informed his supervisor of the device.

The accused said he placed it there to monitor his ex-girlfriend’s treatment of their small child. He later admitted he had a key to the home and entered it on multiple occasions without the victim’s knowledge.

The Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation immediately after receiving the complaint and placed Pizzolato on administrative leave. Once the investigation was complete, he was terminated from the Sheriff’s Office prior to be booked into the prison.

Lafayette Officer on Leave After Video Shows Him Shaking Girl

The Lafayette Police Department has placed an officer on paid administrative leave after a video surfaced that showed him raising his voice and shaking a girl who was being detained.

The video was posted on CNN’s ireport.com, a site where the public can post their own stories and videos.

The footage was taken Feb. 16, Mardi Gras day, in the downtown Lafayette area and showed several officers handling an incident involving several young people.

The Lafayette Police Department was informed of the incident Feb. 19 at about 5 p.m., according to a news release.

Chief Jim Craft ordered an immediate criminal and administrative investigation into the incident and placed the officer on leave pending the outcome, the release stated.

Cpl. Paul Mouton, spokesman for the department, declined to release the officer’s name.

The department stated that it would offer no further comment until the investigation is complete.

Internal investigations typically take 60 days to complete.

The video was posted Feb. 17 and had garnered more than 2,000 views as of Tuesday afternoon.

The person who posted the video lists his username as “MEspree” and states in the synopsis that the police chased and tackled the teen and then shook her.

Police later attempted to arrest “MEspree” and take his iPhone, which prompted him to ask “Is this Iran?”

The video, which is more than five minutes long and was recorded with an iPhone, does not appear to show officers tackling the girl.

The video shows the girl sitting on the street talking and pointing around when the officer leans over and screams “shut up” repeatedly at her while he shakes her by the shoulders.

Afterward, another officer walks over and handcuffs the girl. She is one of three teens being detained by officers.

The man continues to film officers as they walk the teens through the parade barricades toward nearby police units.

Toward the end of the video, an officer approaches the man behind the camera and asks him if has video of the fight.

The man tells officers that he only has video of the arrest and then adds, “I’ve got a video of somebody tackling a little girl.”

Another officer approaches him and gives him a warning that he’ll be taken to jail if he continues to cause a disturbance.

“You can go ahead and put that in your video,” the officer says. “One more warning and that’s it.”

Afterward, yet another officer approaches and appears to reach for the man’s arm while informing him that he’ll get a receipt for his phone.

“You can’t take my phone,” the man says.

“You want to bet,” the officer says.

The video ends soon after while the two continue to argue over the phone.

Officer Jason Cortez Runs Through Checkpoint

An off-duty Covington police officer and a woman were critically injured in a car crash early Sunday, police said.

Col. Michael Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police said the single-vehicle crash happened at about 2:10 a.m. on Louisiana Highway 21 in St. Tammany Parish.

Police said Jason Cortez, 26, of Bush, La., was traveling north on LA 21 in a 2008 Ford Mustang when he approached a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office checkpoint manned by three deputies who were searching for an escaped inmate.

"Cortez came to a stop prior to the checkpoint and was instructed to proceed forward by the deputies, at which time he accelerated and sped through the checkpoint proceeding northbound on LA 21 at a high rate of speed," Edmonson said.

As deputies attempted to catch up with the Mustang to conduct a traffic stop, Cortez failed to negotiate a left curve and ran off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle traveled about 72 feet through a ditch before hitting a culvert and becoming airborne.

"The Mustang rotated counterclockwise and began to overturn when it impacted a utility pole, breaking the pole in half. The vehicle came to a rest upright on its wheels in a ditch on the east side of LA 21," Edmonson said.

Cortez and his passenger, 23-year-old Brittany Thornhill, of Covington, were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and were ejected from the vehicle. They were transported to St. Tammany Parish Hospital in critical condition.

Edmonson said authorities believe alcohol was a factor in the crash. Investigators are awaiting the results of a urine and blood sample taken from Cortez, against whom charges are pending.

Deputy Lt Shane Fletcher Pleads Guilty to Placing Tracking Device on Coach's Car

A Terrebonne Parish detective pleaded guilty Friday to criminal mischief in connection with the illegal placement of a GPS tracking device on a high-school coach’s car.

The device was allegedly placed there on behalf of a local businessman by a state trooper, who faces a similar charge and is the subject of a State Police investigation.

Lt. Shane Fletcher, 42, the Terrebonne detective, entered the guilty plea in Lafourche Parish District Court. He was fined $100 and ordered to pay court costs. Officials at the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office said an internal investigation of the detective’s actions is under way.

The businessman, 60-year-old John Ledet Jr., is charged as a principal to criminal mischief. He is scheduled to appear in court March 12.

Senior Trooper Travis “Bucky” Colombel has not been charged with a crime, but has been notified by prosecutors that he is a potential grand-jury target.

“We have information to show that the trooper placed the device on the vehicle, Fletcher retrieved the device from Thibodaux Police, and the coach suspects Ledet to be involved,” Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said.

Long-standing problems between Ledet and Shane Trosclair, 32, a baseball coach at E.D. White Catholic High, came to police attention Sept. 18, when Thibodaux officers were called to the school.

Trosclair told officers that Ledet was “stalking him because he refused to allow his son to play baseball for the school,” the police report says.

Ledet is owner of the Cajun Country Event Center on La. 182 in Raceland, a truck stop and restaurant. He formerly owned JB’s Coffee House in downtown Houma.
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Deputy Robert Stogner Arrested for Stalking

A West Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputy was fired Wednesday after being arrested for allegedly stalking a man he believed was seeing his wife.

Robert Wayne Stogner, 48, 8909 Island Road, St. Francisville, tried to contact the man Wednesday at his place of employment, Georgia Pacific’s Port Hudson mill, an affidavit of probable cause said.

Stogner arrived at the mill between Baton Rouge and St. Francisville around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and asked a dispatcher to contact the man via radio, the affidavit said.

Sensing that something was wrong, the dispatcher continued talking to Stogner instead of contacting the mill employee, the affidavit said.

During their conversation, Stogner told the dispatcher “that if he were a crazy man, he could have killed everyone he contacted thus far with the two handguns and the shotgun that were in his truck,” the affidavit said.

The dispatcher told investigators with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office that she saw the shotgun in Stogner’s vehicle, the affidavit said.

Stogner admitted to investigators he went to the mill with his service-issued .40-caliber weapon to talk to the man he believed was having an affair with his wife, the affidavit said.

Stogner also admitted to calling the man and going to the man’s motel room and the mill on previous occasions.

On one of two previous occasions at the mill, Stogner confronted the man with a hammer and a crowbar, the affidavit said. A fight did not ensue, but the man told investigators he felt threatened.

East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested Stogner and booked him into Parish Prison on one count each of stalking and aggravated assault.

As a result of his arrest, Stogner was fired from his position with the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office, West Feliciana Parish Sheriff J. Austin Daniel said.

The sheriff said Wednesday he wrote a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office asking that Stogner’s law enforcement commission be revoked.

Daniel said that on the same day deputies recovered Stogner’s service-issued weapons from his home.

Stogner started working with the Sheriff’s Office in March 2002, Sheriff’s Office records show. He left the office in June 2008 and was rehired in February. His position with the office as a patrol deputy was part time.

“He did a good job for us,” Daniel said. “He worked a lot of hours at night.”

According to West Feliciana Parish court records, Stogner’s latest arrest was not his first.

Stogner was arrested on Oct. 15, 1993, in St. Francisville for allegedly threatening to beat up his then-wife at a law office, court records show. Stogner was charged with disturbing the peace, simple assault and criminal damage to property.

Stogner was sentenced to one year of probation for the misdemeanor charge of criminal damage to property, court records show. The other two charges were dropped.

Ex-Officer Cody Theriot Arrested for Impersonating a Police Officer

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a 27-year-old New Iberia man on a charge of impersonating a police officer.

According to a news release, patrol deputies spotted what appeared to be a law enforcement unit parked along La. 347 in Parks. The vehicle was described as a white Ford Explorer with license plate SLC462.

The vehicle was equipped with several decals commonly found on law enforcement units along with operable red and blue lights, an audible siren and a law enforcement push-style bumper.

At the time of his arrest, Cody Patrick Theriot allegedly was wearing tactical-style pants and a red and silver reflective “K-9 Search and Rescue Team” jacket. Deputies also discovered he was in possession of two official law enforcement badges, a semi-automatic handgun, riot baton, handcuffs, a police scanner and a K-9 tracking harness.

According to the release, Theriot is not a commissioned officer with any law enforcement agency.

He allegedly continued to give different names when officers asked for his real identity.

They later determined he had an active warrant for drug court with a $100,000 bond.

Anyone that may have encountered this vehicle or Theriot in this capacity is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Bureau at (337) 394-2670 or (337) 394-3071.
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Officer Herman Peterson Arrested for Stealing Dog

He was supposed to be protecting and serving, however Evangeline Parish authorities arrested one Opelousas Police officer for stealing.

Ville Platte resident Britney Richard says Officer Herman Peterson came into her home and took her dog.

Through word of mouth, Richard says she found out another resident had the dog. That person told Richard he got the dog from Officer Peterson.

Peterson was booked on theft charges and posted bond. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay.

The police department is conducting an internal investigation on the matter.