The fallout from last October’s cross-country drive to San Diego via the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas in a state police vehicle has resulted in the demotion of two state troopers who took part in the drive.
Lt. Rodney Hyatt was demoted to sergeant, and Capt. Derrell Williams was bumped down to lieutenant. Both troopers received corresponding reductions in pay along with their demotions.
Both men have the option of appealing their respective disciplinary actions.
But they didn’t go down without a fight and without throwing former State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson, who was forced into retirement over the trip that also included a dozen other state police personnel, under the bus. It all comes down to “who do you believe?”
And Hyatt, so sure was he that he was blameless in the circuitous route taken by the four, recently applied for promotion to captain despite his pending demotion.
Moreover, Williams was cited for receiving a semi-nude photograph from a female friend on his state police email account via his state-issue cell phone and for transmitting a suggestive photo of himself to that same female friend on his state email account.
Both men fired off lengthy letters defending their actions to the State Police Internal Affairs Section that Williams once headed. In Hyatt’s case, his letter was 12 pages in length while Williams’s letter was 10 pages.
Hyatt, in particular, attempted to shift the blame for driving the state vehicle (which was assigned to then-Assistant Superintendent Charles Dupuy, for overstating his overtime, for staying in expensive hotels, and for visiting Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam along the way, to Edmonson.
Williams, for his part, said simply that “None of the (other) officers in the state vehicle were in my chain of command,” and that upon his return to Baton Rouge, Edmonson “signed off on my state credit card expenditures showing the prices and places where we stayed.”
The disciplinary letters from State Police Superintendent Col. Kevin Reeves to Hyatt and Williams were each 10 pages in length but the letter to Hyatt appeared to pack the most punch and its entire 10 pages were summed up in a single sentence:
“Your response merely attempts to shift responsibility for your actions to others,” Reeves said.
Still, it’s difficult to imagine that the four would have gone off on a sightseeing trip in a state vehicle without Edmonson’s knowledge and blessing.
Reeves also said that Hyatt not only submitted padded time sheets for hours not worked but that he forwarded copies of his time sheet to Troopers Thurman Miller and Alexandr Nezgodinsky, who also made the trip in the state vehicle, “to show them how to claim their time for the travel and training.”
Hyatt, in his letter said he was initially asked by Edmonson if he wanted to attend the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference that was held in conjunction with the State and Provincial Police Planning Officers Section (SPPPOS) meeting. Hyatt said he told Edmonson he did wish to attend both conferences at which point Edmonson said, “If you go, you have to drive.” He said Edmonson then said, “Take your wife and have a good time.”
“I have never taken my wife in my entire 20-year career to any work-related conference,” Hyatt said. “Had Edmonson not told me to, I would not have brought her. However, being a paramilitary organization, I took his order to mean that I am going to the conferences in San Diego, California with my wife, and we were to have a good time and drive there. Additionally, I followed his order because I did not want to violate Louisiana State Police Policy and Procedure, which states that I shall obey and execute all lawful orders of a superior officer.”
Moreover, Hyatt said it was Edmonson who suggested that the four troopers and Hyatt’s wife take the “northern route” because there was “nothing but desert along I-10.” That was the route that included the side trips to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Vegas.
Edmonson was quoted earlier this year when news of the trip first became public that he did not sign off on the side trip but Williams backed Hyatt’s version of events by saying he had “no doubt” that Edmonson knew the whereabouts of the four “at all times” during the trip.
On telling part of Hyatt’s letter as well as Reeves’s letter of demotion to Williams was the issue of text messages and emails on state cell phones.
LouisianaVoice requested copies of all such messages and photos, particularly those between the four troopers in the state vehicle and Edmonson months ago but was told by State Police Legal Affairs that no such messages existed.
Yet Hyatt, in his 12-page response alluded to emails, text messages and photographs sent by Hyatt’s wife to Edmonson throughout the trip.
And Reeves, in his letter, cited the sexually explicit photo sent to Williams’s state email account by a female friend and received on his cell phone and Williams’s photo of him straddling a cactus that he texted to that same lady friend.
Because the disciplinary letters and the responses are so lengthy, it has been decided that rather than try to relate what they said, it would be better to simply publish the links to the respective documents.
So here is the disciplinary letter to RODNEY HYATT, along with his response.
And here is the disciplinary letter to DERRELL WILLIAMS, followed by his response.
Glad to see the LSP being brought under control by Col. Reeves. But after all is said and done, this is primarily a matter of money wasted. But the case at the State Fire Marshal’s office is far more serious. There lives are being put in danger. Browning and Thompson must go and go now. Their actions have already cost people their lives and will certainly cost even more.
Of course you realize that this will probably all be overturned by the State Police Commission and they will all live happily ever after.
I can’ t comprehend that this will be overturned anytime soon. Whatever happened thus far it is still really, really sad that two state police officers with high ranks had to be disciplined and rightfully so and have their reputation and names stained forever because of taking something that wasn’t due to them.
I surely hope Big Kahoona Edmonson enjoyed his little tribute to himself because they sure paid a high price for it.
They not only shamed themselves but the name of STATE POLICE, the best law enforcement organization in the State Of Louisiana as far as I am
concerned.
Mr Reeves did the right thing and I am proud of him.
God Bless all of our State Police Officers who work hard each day and night.!
I hope they realize that the public will not paint them with the same brush as those three mentioned above.
Why does that phrase bother me so much? Oh, that’s right, here’s why:
https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21599349-americas-police-have-become-too-militarised-cops-or-soldiers
Thanks for that article Fredster. Prime example of waste in government when they have so much military equipment they can offer it up to any city, town, burg, village , or college police while many of their officers don’t know how or what to do with it. We should remember this the next time you go to get a haircut or to partake in, Heaven Forbid, a poker game. Roll out those SWAT teams and bust up these criminal enterprises. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness be damned.
That article was from 2014 Bob and the previous admin was attempting to roll that program back or do away with it. However, I believe the new admin is going to reverse that decision because it was done by the black guy who was in office.
Here’s a link to JeffBo the Keebler Elf announcing that:
http://www.npr.org/2017/08/28/546743742/trump-administration-lifts-limits-on-military-hardware-for-police
Administrative Investigation of Policy And Procedure violations? What about criminal ? Where is the Attorney General (Jeff Landry), Inspector General (Stephen Street), and the East Baton Rouge D.A. (Hillar Moore)? Had these been private citizens the State Police would be proud to announce the arrest. Apparently there is a double standard when it is a State Trooper. All you have to do is look at the career of Mike Edmonson who had been reduced in rank after some time sheet/expense problems of his own. He later became the Superintendent of State Police. Look where they are today at the command level. This is not as Col. Reeves alluded to—a one time incident that defines the State Police. All you have to do is fact-check the recent history
One should wonder if the Louisiana State Troopers Association will vote to remove these Troopers as it did those four troopers who exposed their wrongdoing.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why the public continues to lose faith in JOHN BEL EDWARDS and the LOUISIANA STATE POLICE!
How could any of these supervisors supervise a subordinate again? The subordinate would have to work pretty hard to trump them. They are very lucky they were not charged criminally and fired; they should have at the very least been demoted back to a trooper after showing they are unable to supervise themselves let alone others. The responses given show no remorse or humility for what was done. In my 27 years on the job prior to retiring I saw troopers and civilian employees make minor mistakes or errors, and get harsher punishments than what has been given here. I also believe they will have their punishment reduced by the commission rather than allow them to testify in front of the commission with dirt on the previous and current administration. The question needs to be asked why is there no punishments given to the captains, majors, or colonels that signed off on these reports? It was documented in both responses cited by this article.
Great questions. We’ll probably never get answers, however.
Lt Colonel Charles Dupuy was demoted to Major
Pssst!!! Rodney!! Pssst!! RODNEY!!! ….. Move your arm! I can’t see how you started the third paragraph!… Ok Major… ah Lt.
The excuse that disgraced Rodney Hyatt gave was a complete fraud. A circus clown giving an excuse as to why he failed a drug test, would be a better defense than what Rodney Hyatt wrote. His excuse leaving late in Las Vegas is really interesting. Everyone knows, that if this is your very first to Las Vegas, you simply get a room and sleep so you can wake up bright and early then leave. Because the driving fatigue, Hyatt couldn’t motivate the men to get up early because they were so tired of this boring drive. No one goes to Las Vegas to gamble, drink, or party all night due to the simple fact that entire group was so fatigue and this would save life and property. I have to stop because I am about to throw this computer out of this unit. Maybe I can blame FATIGUE and a boring drive to cover my littering ticket. I’ll examine more of this when I calm down.
Duane Farmer who was a Captain for the Houma Police Department called citizens vulgar names when they filed complaints against police officers. He also criticized an officer for reporting an incident involving a citizen being tazed 5 times which could have caused an in custody death.
Please review online Houma Times articles “HPD recordings still in limbo” and “HPD recordings give an inside look” Listen to the number 3 and 4 recordings which were taken at the police department. These recordings show Farmer in his natural state of mind.
The recordings were given to the Houma Municipal Civil Service Board who conducted an investigation on Farmer. At the conclusion of the investigation the board said Farmer was not guilty of any misconduct. However, one board member resigned during the meeting. Farmer was then promoted and is currently the Asst, Police Chief and now oversees all operations of the department to include citizen complaints. I would hope for the betterment of the community Farmer has changed in the way he handles citizen and officers complaints. I wouldn’t be surprised if these troopers appeal this disciplinary action and the commission says they committed no misconduct and gives them their rank back to include all overtime they claimed during the trip.
Well folks, if you haven’t realized the release of this matter was intentionally timed to reduce exposure by the administration in light of current events. Good Job, doug cain, “Mickey”taught you well. Furthermore, JBE will have his LSP Commission cover this up with the LSTA Lawyer, Floyd Falcon, brother of Mark Falcon, Jay Darlene’s right hand man.
Let us really ask, where Williams and Hyatt new job assignments will be after reduction. I am sure it won’t take a genius to figure out the Administration is protecting them and giving them a lush job assignment.
Everyone is saying, kevin reeves is still allowing charles dupuy , “the puppet master” to control things at lsp.
So Sad what they have done to a once Honorable Agency!