A St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office detective is accused of stealing cash from evidence.
On November 19, 2021, detectives with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office were notified by Capt. Bryan Lafleur that a large amount of money was seized from a previous arrest and $2,220 was missing, according to Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz.
Upon further investigation, it was determined that $9,015 was seized at the arrest location, however, the investigative report showed that only $6,795 was in evidence. Capt. Bryan Lafleur, a captain with the narcotics division, immediately initiated an independent investigation into the matter, according to a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office. It was later learned that the original verification documentation (evidence envelopes, property receipts, and currency envelopes) stating that $9,015 was seized could not be located. An internal investigation was then initiated and it revealed that Capt. Bryan Lafleur himself discarded the original documentation and replaced it with new falsified documents showing $6,795 was seized during the arrest.
Investigators say when questioned by Internal Affairs Detectives on December 16, 2021, Lafleur stated that he realized the discrepancy when he counted the money and reviewed the case report. When detectives inquired about the original verification documents, Capt. Lafleur stated that he discarded the receipts and envelopes but could not provide a reason for doing so.
On December 20, 2021, Bryan Lafleur was transported to the St. Landry Parish Jail and arrested on charges of malfeasance in office, injuring public records, and obstruction of justice. He's since bonded out.
“It is very troubling to me that one of my own would steal from my office," said Sheriff Guidroz. "None of my deputies are above the law. If any Sheriff’s Office employee commits a criminal act on or off duty, they will be arrested and charged for the crime.”
Guidroz said he is "very, very...hurt and disappointed" by the incident, adding, "they know we have a high standard, we insist that they have certain protocols that they [follow] when they're handling money and narcotics and he violated much of that."
The sheriff said Lafleur's arrest has nothing to do with missing narcotics.
"He was not on drugs, he did not take any drugs, but he destroyed paperwork, he obstructed justice, and he took money, and so that in itself is bad enough."
KATC spoke with those close to the Lafleur family, who say this isn't in the former captain's character; they believe this is a setup.
Guidroz, however, says the evidence proves otherwise.
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