The Current has spoken with the attorney for an LPSS employee accused of multiple crimes while overseeing construction for the district.
Robert Gautreaux, the Lafayette Parish School System’s former director of construction, facilities and maintenance, pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of filing false public records, injuring public records and obstruction of justice. Gautreaux, 46, was indicted by a Lafayette Parish grand jury in January.
“Robert maintains his innocence and denies the allegations made against him,” criminal defense attorney Jordan Precht tells The Current. “There is significantly more to this story than what has been disclosed so far. We look forward to the full truth coming out in court.”
Gautreaux is accused of creating false quotes for multiple construction projects and then submitting them into school system records to meet policy requirements. He allegedly used the letterhead of local companies to carry out the scheme.
Superintendent Francis Touchet hired Gautreaux after restructuring the department in November 2023. As the criminal forgery investigation unfolded, Touchet removed Gautreaux as construction director on July 1 and transferred him back to his previous job as an ag teacher at the W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career Center.
To read The Current's full story, click here.
