CROWLEY, La. — The indictment yesterday of Crowley Police Chief Allen James "Jimmy" Broussard is related to an investigation requested by the District Attorney last fall, in the wake of an excessive force case.
In that case, a Crowley Police officer was booked with battery and malfeasance in office in connection with an incident involving a person in her custody.
At that time, KATC Investigates learned that the District Attorney's Office requested an investigation of the Crowley Police Department in connection with that incident. To read our story, click here.
When KATC Investigates requested public records related to Broussard's arrest, we were provided with the same documents as we received in that previous case - indicating that his indictment is related to the same investigation. The request from the DA's office was directed at "the Crowley Police Department," not that excessive force incident alone.
According to records obtained in January and today by KATC Investigates, the D.A. made a complaint on Sept. 17, 2020, to request an investigation into possible criminal misconduct within the Crowley Police Department.
Yesterday, Broussard was booked into the Acadia Parish jail on malfeasance in office, obstruction of justice and injuring public records. He was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday on four counts of malfeasance in office, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of attempted first degree injuring of public records. All six charges are felonies.
His attorney, Bill Goode, told KATC yesterday that he doesn't have much information about the indictment, but he knows his client.
"I've dealt with a lot of chiefs of police, I do a lot of civil service work," Goode says. "I've actually only dealt with two chiefs who cared more about the people than they do themselves, and Jimmy Broussard is one of them. He's a wonderful man, and he cares."
Goode says he's confident Broussard will be cleared.
"I'm confident Chief Broussard is innocent of any wrongdoing, and we will resolve this case in his favor," Goode said. "It's going to take a while, but I am confident he ultimately will be found not guilty."
According to the indictment, Broussard committed the felonies in Acadia Parish from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2020.
For the obstruction of justice charges, the indictment states that Broussard tampered with evidence to distort a criminal investigation.
The indictment also states that he attempted to injure public records by the "intentional removal, mutilation, destruction, alteration, falsification, or concealment of any record."
KATC will update this story when more information becomes available.
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