Louisiana Voice

LSP Policy: P. O. 901 – Code of Conduct and Ethics

47 Associations

1. i)Commissioned officers shall avoid regular or continuous associations or dealings with persons whom they know are suspected felons, persons under criminal investigation or indictment, or who have a reputation in the community for present involvement in felonious or criminal behavior.  

That seems pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

Yet, there Louisiana State Police (LSP) Superintendent Mike Edmonson is hobnobbing with Casey Adam McKenzie in all those Facebook photographs posted by…McKenzie.

Edmonson on left, McKenzie in center. Man on right unidentified.

McKenzie, a Baton Rouge insurance agent, a self-promoting individual who also works as a booking agent for local bands and who likes to gate-crash LSU sporting events to scarf off sideline passes. He was even arrested for that once. http://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-police-gate-workers-paid-off/.

He was initially booked on a charge of felony theft but that was later reduced to a misdemeanor.

Casey_LSU

So what’s wrong with Edmonson and McKenzie paling around together?

Left to right: Edmonson, wife Suzanne Edmonson, McKenzie. Others unidentified.

McKenzie doesn’t think there’s anything inappropriate about their friendship. “Mike’s a terrific guy,” he told LouisianaVoice in a recent telephone interview.

In fact, it was McKenzie who initiated the phone call. I had emailed LSP public information officer Maj. Doug Cain asking what the relationship between Edmonson and McKenzie. (I never got a response to that inquiry). Other than that, the only other contact I made with anyone about the two was with a sound engineer who I was told had issues with McKenzie over McKenzie’s alleged short-changing the sound company, Premier Production and Sound Services of Baton Rouge, following a band performance.

McKenzie and Edmonson enjoy a harmonica solo together onstage

Within 30 minute of those two contact, McKenzie was on the phone wanting to know why I was asking about him.

Well, regarding that Oct. 12, 2013, charge of theft of LSU “event pass” wristbands, I couldn’t help but be a little curious as to why, after getting the charge reduced to a misdemeanor, the matter has yet to be resolved in court. There have been numerous continuances, with the most recent being on Feb. 13 with the next court date set for 9:30 on May 5 in 19^th Judicial District Judge Mike Erwin’s courtroom.

An apparently surprised McKenzie with Edmonson and unidentified women.

Other minor violations on McKenzie’s part that indicate something of a pattern include:

• Improper equipment on his auto, to which he pled guilty in 2004;

• Speeding and driving under suspension on Sept. 2, 2010: “Presented without evidence and no action taken.  Case closed” on Dec. 20, 2013 (How did this charge manage to languish for more than three years?);

• Speeding on June 1, 2014: State moved to drop charges and case dismissed on Sept. 22, 2015;

• No seat belt on Nov. 22, 2014: No activity on charge since that date;

• Expired vehicle inspection on Jan. 8, 2015: No activity on charge since that date;

• Expired vehicle inspection on Jan. 21, 2015: “Presented without evidence on May 9, 2015,” case dismissed;

• Driving with suspended license on May 9, 2016: Failed to appear for arraignment on Sept. 30, 2016. Bench warrant issued for his arrest and warrant remains outstanding (Erwin is judge).

Casey_Speeding

Casey_No_License

Granted, these offenses don’t thrust McKenzie into the same class as John Dillinger but there are other incidents for which he was not arrested but which call his dealings with others into question.

Patio partying with Edmonson (left foreground), wife Suzanne and McKenzie (purple LSU shirt). Possibly a selfie taken by Edmonson?

One person told LouisianaVoice, “I was personally taken for several thousand dollars, and others (for) much more over the past few years.” That writer continued, saying there was “one despicable incident” of McKenzie’s “ripping off a disabled wheelchair-bound activist for ALS.”

And with a warrant for his arrest pending, one might question the wisdom of Edmonson’s chumming around with McKenzie.

That same writer describes McKenzie as being “obsessed with the social media platforms of Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. He provide plenty of photo and videos for reference that confirm his close and frequent ties with Mike Edmonson.”