Evangeline Parish jail records show that three law enforcement officials and a mayor have been booked so far on Tuesday.
Ville Platte Mayor Ryan Ledet Williams was booked with malfeasance in office, records show.
Mamou Police Chief "Pat" Hall, Ville Platte Police Sgt. Darrian Guillory and Communications Officer Chasessica Basco all were booked Tuesday with malfeasance in office and offenses against intellectual property, records show.
Hall's bond was set at $75,000. Guillory's bond was set at $500 and no bond has been set as yet for Basco, records show.
The three were booked by Louisiana State Police; we've reached out to them for information about the investigation.
In Louisiana, the charge of "offenses against intellectual property" consists of either the Destruction, insertion, or modification, without consent, of intellectual property; or Disclosure, use, copying, taking, or accessing, without consent, of intellectual property.
If convicted, they face fines of up to $500 and up to six month in jail, or both. If the damage caused by the crime amounts to more than $500, they can be sentenced to fines of up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison, or both.
The law defines intellectual property as "data, computer programs, computer software, trade secrets as defined in R.S. 51:1431, copyrighted materials, and confidential or proprietary information, in any form or medium, when such is stored in, produced by, or intended for use or storage with or in a computer, a computer system, or a computer network."
If convicted of malfeasance they face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. The law also provides that any POST certified full-time, part-time or reserve peace officer is convicted of malfeasance, their certification will be "immediately revoked."
This is a breaking news story, and more details will be released as soon as they become available.
