State troopers charged with felony theft

Two senior Louisiana state troopers and two former troopers have been arrested for stealing tens of thousands of dollars in a payroll scam.

Louisiana State Police detectives made the arrests after a months-long internal investigation of the agency’s participation in the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement (LACE) program, an LSP news release said.

The LSP investigation came after a series of news stories by FOX 8 News that used surveillance to prove that several troopers were padding their work time sheets with hours when they were at home.

Master Trooper Daryl Thomas has been charged with two counts of filing false public records and felony theft for an amount greater than $15,000, and Senior Trooper Wayne Taylor faces 14 counts of injuring public records and one count of malfeasance in office.

Former Trooper Byron Sims has been charged with four counts of filing false public records and felony theft for an amount greater than $21,000, and fellow former Trooper Jimmy Rogers faces 74 counts of injuring public records and one count of malfeasance in office.

The charges against the four troopers come less than a year after LSP Col. Mike Edmonson announced his retirement amid allegations that he authorized a “side trip” to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon for state troopers and their families attending a West Coast conference and later tried to cover it up. Edmonson was also accused of using New Orleans hotel rooms set aside for state troopers deployed to the city during Mardi Gras for himself and family members and living in a Louisiana State Police compound without paying any taxes.

The current and former troopers abused the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement program, which allows state troopers to supplement local, parish and state law enforcement agencies.

The theft was related to the LACE program in New Orleans, according to the Louisiana State Police.

The program was suspended during the investigation and reinstated on February 5 after a series of changes and safeguards were put in place.

“This is an extremely disappointing day for our agency; however, we must hold ourselves accountable before we can be expected to hold the public accountable,” Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Kevin Reeves said.

“These arrests are not indicative of the vast majority of Troopers who serve their communities and perform their jobs well each and every day. The actions of a few should not be a reflection on the agency as a whole. This has been a long and unfortunate journey, but we are prepared to move forward as an agency that expects nothing less than professionalism from its employees and strives to produce the best public safety product to the citizens we serve.”

This article originally published in the May 7, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.