Even as grieving friends, relatives and fellow state troopers were gathering to say goodbye to slain Troop D State Trooper Steven Vincent in Lake Charles last weekend, a State Police Internal Affairs investigation was well underway into alleged payroll irregularities on the part of Troop D Commander Capt. Chris Guillory.
One report received by LouisianaVoice indicates that Guillory reassigned a supervisor to administrative duties after he and his subordinates declined to participate in what they felt was payroll fraud stemming from travel to Baton Rouge for new firearms qualification.
Meanwhile, a potential confrontation between Guillory and the man who filed a complaint against him was averted when a sheriff’s deputy escorted Dwight Gerst from a visitation for Vincent at the Rosa Hart Theater at the Lake Charles Civic Center on Friday, Aug. 28.
Gerst, who was friends with and who was trained by Vincent, attended the wake but said he was cursed by Guillory while he was standing in line and a sheriff’s deputy subsequently escorted him from the visitation. “I was there to honor and pay my respects to a friend,” Gerst said.
LouisianaVoice published a story on Aug. 17 about Guillory’s refusal to accept a formal complaint about threats Gerst said Trooper Jimmy Rogers made against him. Gerst then took his complaint to State Police headquarters in Baton Rouge but it was never followed up by Baton Rouge, he said.
But now, Internal Affairs is conducting what appears to be a full-blown investigation into a number of allegations involving Guillory, including but not limited to the payroll irregularities and prescription drug abuse.
One of the payroll issue stems from a trip Troop D troopers made to Baton Rouge earlier this year to qualify with new weapons issued the troopers. LouisianaVoice has learned that troopers were instructed to charge extra hours for the round trip and time spent qualifying.
Guillory is said to have reassigned one supervisor to administrative duties after he and his subordinates declined to participate in padding their time sheets.
LouisianaVoice in late July made a public records request of State Police for an opportunity to review all time sheets for the pay period that Troop D personnel traveled to Baton Rouge to fire the newly issued weapons.
On Aug. 18, State Police Attorney Supervisor Michele Giroir notified us by letter that the time sheets, along with numerous other requested public records had become the subject of an ongoing investigation being conducted by Louisiana State Police. “Therefore, these records are not subject to release at this time,” Giroir wrote.
It appears the request by LouisianaVoice for the records sparked the investigations into the suspected payroll irregularities. Reporting sources indicated they had not wanted to take information to LouisianaVoice but did so after reporting the problems internally only to see the investigation focus more on discovering the source of the reporting than in identifying and stopping misconduct.
Giroir did, however, release a 10-page investigative report of an investigation of the possible abuse of prescription drugs by Guillory. “…Guillory may have taken, or is currently taking, a prescribed controlled dangerous substance, which is required to be reported as per LSP Policy and Procedure…,” the report said.
The report alluded to instances of Guillory’s being observed driving erratically in his patrol vehicle. One state police official reported that Guillory was at a restaurant and had to be driven back to Troop D to sleep on a cot until returning to normal. Guillory denied to investigators that he slept on the cot. It was also reported he experienced difficulty manipulating utensils at a restaurant while eating in a restaurant with other troopers.
The 10-page investigative report was heavily redacted, but it was evident that Guillory first told investigators he was in compliance with LSP drug use policy but later admitted he was not. He told investigators he was obtaining prescriptions from three different doctors and that he had accumulated “maybe a hundred” pills at his home. He admitted to investigators that he occasionally doubled up on his dosage but that it was not an everyday thing.
The type pills prescribed to Guillory was redacted, but LouisianaVoice has learned that they were believed to be OxyContin which is normally prescribed for only 15 days because of addiction risks and is intended for use by terminal cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers.
State police investigators described the drugs as a “the cocktail.” According to law enforcement experts, the cocktail is a combination of pain killers, muscle relaxers, and anti-depressants.
Guillory reported that he flushed the medications after being interviewed by Internal Affairs. Shortly after the investigation was concluded, he was reprimanded for violating the State Police drug use policy. He was promoted to the rank of captain and became commander of Troop D subsequent to the investigation but later received a letter of reprimand for violation of prescription medication notification regulations from State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson.
Here is the 10-page redacted report, along with the letter informing the Region II Command Inspector of the investigation, followed at the very bottom by a link to Edmonson’s letter of reprimand to Guillory—after he was promoted to captain. (CLICK ON EACH IMAGE TO ENLARGE):
Here is the GUILLORY REPRIMAND letter of Sept. 28, 2010.
Louisiana Voice 
[…] Source: State Police launch Internal Affairs investigation of Troop D Commander after public records request… […]
Wait a minute. After being reprimanded for violating department drug use policy Guillory was promoted in rank and position? That seems to me to be a reward for keeping his mouth shut as to which “higher-ups” he was supplying these drugs. It sounds like LSP Internal Affairs needs to expand its investigation as to drug use by senior departmental officials.
Excellent reporting, as ever, Tom. Amazing how a little sunshine on tawdry state affairs can encourage officials to do the right thing. It’s sad that people supposedly working in the public trust are so corrupt, and even more sad that it takes dogged investigative reporting to force their crimes out of deepest darkness and into the light.
You are a treasure to Louisiana and it’s great to see you back in the saddle. Can’t wait to read The Book.
Thanks again for alerting us to the circus taking place all around us. Simply amazing!
After being reprimanded for violating department drug use policy Guillory was promoted in rank and position? This is in error. Guillory was promoted to Captain in 2010.
The initial notification of an investigation was written to Maj. Joel Kilpatrick, Command Inspector for Region II by Capt. Bryson Williams, Commander of Internal Affairs, on Aug. 16, 2010, and the letter referred to an investigation of “an allegation of failure to submit required documentation for the use of prescription medication on the part of Lt. Harlan Chris Guillory, Troop D.”
Moreover, references to Guillory in a 10-page investigative report dated Aug. 12, 2010, repeatedly made reference to his rank as lieutenant. It was after that August 12 letter that he was promoted to captain. His letter of reprimand, dated more than a month later, on Sept. 28, 2010, addresses him as “Captain Harlan Chris Guillory. Therefore, he was promoted from lieutenant to captain between the 10-page investigative report of Aug. 12, 2010 (on which we based our story) and the Sept. 28, 2010 letter of reprimand. We obtained copies of these documents pursuant to our public records requests and they remain in our possession.
We stand by our story.
All I can say is WOW!!! It’s amazing how corruption has creeped it’s way into every nook and cranny of state government. These people act like bullies and think no one will ever call them on it. When departments ignore egregious acts and promote instead, these people think they are immune from their acts. The gig is up. Great job, Tom.
Flushing a controlled substance is a violation of both state and Federal Control Act.
Any drug, but especially Oxi should have been returned to a pharmacy and desposed of properly.
Now there is no accounting as to his claim that though he was prescription shopping, he was taking the meds according to the doctor prescribed directions. Most likely he was a abuser and had few or none of the prescribed drugs left. So he had to fabricate the “I flushed my stash” story.
Harlan Guillory admitted to receiving Controlled Substance prescriptions from 3 different physicians, was observed to be impaired at work, and admitted to occasionally taking more than his prescribed dose. Was he required to submit hair for drug testing and why wasn’t he required to undergo an evaluation for drug addiction? Instead he received a Letter of Reprimand which obviously didn’t affect his chances for promotion. Is the 10 page investigative report available to the public online? It would be interesting to see who Guillory’s superior was at the time of his promotion and what the State Police policy is concerning the problems Guillory exhibited with prescription drugs. It sounds as though Guillory is only the starting point of this investigation!
The 10-page report has been added to the end of the post.
Whether accurately or not, I used to look upon the Louisiana State Police as a lone bastion of integrity and professionalism in state government. In fact, I know 4 or 5 troopers, and they are professional and above reproach. Still, it is amazing to me what the administration of Bobby Jindal and Mike Edmundson have done to make the LSP look like just another corrupt state agency! Shame! If I’m wrong, prove it!
Wow! Private citizens commit these crimes and they’re looking at serious jail time. A State Police lieutenant does this and is rewarded with promotion and a raise. Only in Louisiana.
As Patrick Robinson stated above, why wasn’t he required to take a hair follicle drug test? Even high school students know that most scheduled prescription drugs leave no trace in the urine after 18-24 hours. His challenge to give him a “pee test,” was repeatedly ignored during interrogation. The investigating team has done a superb job of “protecting and serving” Harlan Guillory!
Guillory is getting away with all of this because he knows that Colonel Edmundson was twice reprimanded for overtime fraud as a sergeant. A full audit OS the LSP would probably reveal the loss of tens of millions in property and reveal even more felons. How ammunition are they burning through? Some more than others and a few go through a lot more! Sgt Paul Brady is one. Keep digging until they start prosecuting them!
The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating color of law abuses, which include acts carried out by government officials operating both within and beyond the limits of their lawful authority. Off-duty conduct may be covered if the perpetrator asserted his or her official status in some way.