Fishing gear, Yeti swiped from vault by Louisiana State Trooper -- but no charges

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A State Police trooper was suspended for two weeks — and docked an additional 80 hours' pay — earlier this year after investigators determined he improperly removed several pieces of evidence from a state vault and gave some of the property to a retired State Police lieutenant.



Lt. Sheldon Perkins admitted taking the items, which included fishing equipment and a $400 ice chest, without a court order or consulting his superiors, according to State Police records obtained by The Advocate on Friday. But he was not charged with theft or any other crime, even though internal investigators concluded his actions amounted to malfeasance in office, a crime under Louisiana law.

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Perkins had "jokingly commented several times that the Yeti ice chest would look good" on his 18-foot bay boat, the records show. But he insisted that he intended to donate the property to Goodwill and told investigators "he was not a thief."

"I just never did it," Perkins told authorities when asked why he kept the items in his pickup for two days rather than donating them.

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State Police determined that Perkins violated a number of policies, including one requiring troopers to "maintain a competency level sufficient to properly perform his duties." But while he was suspended without pay for two weeks and transferred to a new position, he was not arrested or even demoted.

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Asked why Perkins was not prosecuted criminally, Maj. Doug Cain, a State Police spokesman, said, "We don't have that answer. This case is from 2016."

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Perkins told investigators he considered the items to be "property that was being held onto," as the items were no longer needed in the closed case. But he "acknowledged that he was never given authority by his supervisor to discard the items" or to give some of the evidence — a fishing rod and reel — to a retired State Police lieutenant who helped Perkins remove the property from the evidence room.

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