WBR Sheriff’s Office employee used traffic ticket money for personal use, audit shows

WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH, La. (WAFB) - A report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office showed a West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office employee used money collected from traffic tickets for her personal use.

The report was released by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office on Monday, Feb. 20.

According to the report, accounting records revealed false transactions were recorded to conceal the money that was allegedly taken.

Between July 1, 2018, and July 31, 2022, the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office took in $158,852 more in traffic ticket revenue than was deposited in its bank account, auditors said in their report.

A spokesperson with the sheriff’s office said a supervisor started noticing around September and October of 2022 that a certain amount of money was not accounted for, which is when WBRSO reached out to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Offices and the area district attorney.

The employee involved was put on leave and later arrested, according to WBRSO. Officials said the employee eventually resigned.

According to the sheriff’s office, steps are being taken to make sure the issue does not happen again.

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