We have not heard any official or even reliable information on the reasons, but we do know that Jackson Parish Sheriff Andy Brown and his chief investigator, Deputy Donovan Shultz abruptly resigned (though word is they’re calling it “retirement”) their positions barely a week after LouisianaVoice published a story about their unsuccessful attempt to market expensive “skin substitute” bandages made of dried placenta to a Ruston doctor.
Brown was serving his sixth term as sheriff and word was, he was planning to run for reelection before today’s sudden turn of events. Shultz, who is a business partner of Brown, is a veteran of more than 20 years in law enforcement.
Plenty of rumors are circulating around their sudden departure, including a report that a third deputy also stepped down at the same time. A quick check by LouisianaVoice, however, revealed a report that he actually retired more than four years ago.
One local critic whose vulgarities caused us to ban him from posting his comments, accused us of “hiding behind a phone screen” (whatever that might have meant) despite the fact that my name was at the top of my most recent – and this one as well – story. Speaking of hiding, that individual has yet to reveal his own name, going instead by “Unknownuser2252025.”
That aside, everything we have published about Brown and Donovan, with the exception of the report about the sales call in Ruston (which came from a person with close, personal knowledge of the event) has been straight from prior news accounts and/or public records, including 83 violations in the treatment of youth in his care and the state’s subsequent cancellation of its contract with him to house juvenile offenders.
Nor do I have any particular “angst” against Brown, as another writer suggested (at least he was civil). I even wrote about at least 40 sheriffs and deputies in my book Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption but somehow failed to include Brown or Shultz. Angst? I don’t think so.
Stay turned. If we learn anything more, I’ll pass it along. And it won’t be “behind a phone screen.”
Louisiana Voice 
and he did it for “family” BS. He didn’t care about his family when he was sleeping around with another well known person in JP.
If earlier reporting was accurate – and I assume it was – Brown was bringing in more than a quarter of a million dollars annually. There are only two reasons why someone would voluntarily give that up. Either he’s about to get busted for gaining all or part of it illegally, or he thinks he can make more elsewhere. But maybe he’s just going to retire and work his side businesses as a hobby.
I just hope for everyone our next Sheriff isn’t a crook. Present or former. You can pay for your past transgressions and others will forget/forgive what you did, but it doesn’t mean you should be in charge of such authority over the entire parish. Especially when you only want the position for selfish reasons. Someone running should be thankful they didn’t have to pay more than they did. Everyone in the Parish should educate themselves on every candidate and not put this “but they are my friend!” Above what is ultimately important.