Kaplan Chief of Police Boyd Adams turned himself in at the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's office after warrants were issued for his arrest.
Kaplan Police Chief turns himself in to La. State Police
Kaplan Police Chief Boyd Adams turned himself in Monday morning to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Louisiana State Police.
Adams was charged with malfeasance in office and felony theft.
These charges stem from a state audit which questioned whether Kaplan Police Chief Boyd Adams used nearly $7,650 in public funds to pay personal expenses, drawing some of that money from two police department bank accounts city officials say they did not know existed.
The Legislative Auditor’s investigation found 149 transactions which equaled to $17,140 in a Kaplan Police Recreation Account.
Out of the $17,140 in transactions, a total of 59 transactions worth $7,650 have no documentation explaining the reason for the cash deposits.
Adams has denied wrongdoing, writing in a response to auditors that his accounting might need some work but he never misused the public’s money.
Adams has been the police chief of Kaplan since 2010 and is currently seeking a third term.
The audit cites several instances of sloppy accounting and of possible improper use of public funds.
Among them include - The chief cashed checks for $200 and $500, drawn on police department accounts and wrote a $280 check from a police department account to repay an officer who covered the chief’s personal phone bill.
Auditors noted that 38 minutes after Adams cashed the $500 check in 2014 he made a $500 deposit into his personal bank account.
Adams told auditors the cash from the $200 check was deposited in his department’s “cash bag” and was for an undisclosed undercover operation.
Auditors said Adams had no documentation for the purpose of cashing the $500 check, but the chief said it was not connected to the $500 deposit he made to his personal account on the same day.
Adams told the auditors the deposit was from the repayment of a $500 loan he made to a mother to buy school supplies and clothes for her children.
The chief also told auditors he put $280 into the police department’s cash bag to cover the $280 check he wrote the officer who paid his phone bill.
According to the audit, a log for withdrawals and deposits into the cash bag showed a $280 deposit from the chief, but auditors questioned the accuracy of many of the transactions recorded in that log and could find no other records to confirm repayment.
Much of the questionable spending was made using two bank accounts that other city officials said they did not know about until last year.
Adams said both accounts were set up years ago by his predecessors, a statement auditors confirmed.
The accounts have since been closed, and all police department funds are held in authorized city accounts.
Upon hearing of the charges, Kaplan Mayor Kirk Champagne said, “I really don’t know what to say. I know the state auditors found abnormalities in his accounting practices and the Louisiana State Police investigated.
“Apparently they found enough evidence to bring charges, because a warrant was issued for his arrest.”
